All that is Real and All that Isn't
by Scarlett Cash
Summary: 'Everything seemed dark for so long. A warmth enveloped her. It felt foreign. Not that it was a feeling she never knew, but it had been so long since Lucy was warm.' Captured and forced to endure endless manipulation and mind games, Lucy and her family find it is much harder and more painful to know what is real and what isn't, even with the truth staring them in the face.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This is an unfinished piece that I started writing a while back. I've been debating about whether or not to put it on here, but I want to share it. I'll probably leave this as a One-shot unless people want more from it. Lucy is my favorite character, though I'm a sucker for all of the Pevensie siblings. But this one focuses on her. Also, if you're wondering, I'm still updating my story Who I Am, I just felt like sharing this.**

**Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think. I'm always trying to be a better writer so feedback is awesome. I hope you enjoy!**

**~ Scarlett**

Everything seemed dark for so long. A warmth enveloped her. It felt foreign. Not that it was a feeling she never knew, but it had been so long since Lucy was warm.

A muffled noise was peeking through the silence with lilting succession. Lucy felt like she should be afraid, like one feels after hearing the ruffling of leaves in a dark forest. But everything was so disoriented, and she felt so weak, that true terror was not able to reach her.

The noise kept going, as if pushing through unknown waves or walls, becoming louder and clearer. Lucy listened longer, strained for distinction, but couldn't make anything out...But something felt different about the noise as time went on. It could have been hours or simply seconds, she couldn't tell. But the noise was familiar – comforting even.

It was a voice and one she knew well.

Clearer and clearer it became until an image peeked through the darkness and snuck into her mind. A boy – a man. A young man with golden hair, blue eyes, and a strong jaw line – features that seemed to define him. Strong, yet kind.

_Peter._

Lucy clung to the image of him and listened intently. She thought she heard her name. But then silence. Her heart sank the moment he stopped speaking, but was lifted even higher once another voice came through. Gentle and soft.

_Susan._

What a sweet dream. Lucy was in high demand of those recently, yet lacking significantly. She didn't know where the three of them were, so she settled on picturing the river bed. As her brother and sister continued speaking, she saw them all together picnicking by the creek, then wading in the river. Edmund appeared, brown eyes lighting up with the sunlight hitting his tanned face. He splashed Lucy and suddenly a war was on. He may be bigger but this was a game she had much practice at. They were soaking wet before she knew it. As another splash came another image flashed through her mind.

_"Lucy! Lucy, where are you?!" _

_"Ed? Edmund, I'm here – over here!" _

_Tripping over a root, Lucy felt the burn of tree bark scrapping against her face as she fell down. She pulled herself up, breathing in short burst. The pain on her side was excruciating and her shirt was wet with blood, her throat dry and sore. "Edmund!" She tried to yell but it didn't come out as loud this time. _

_There was rustling up ahead. She heard dogs barking and running. The distant glow of fires hurried between trees. The wind blew hard, running through her, sending her into a new fit of shakes. _

_"Edmund?" She called again, much quieter than before. _

_One burning glow was closer than the rest. More rustling. Heavy footsteps running through grass, leaves, and twigs. She looked up as a dark head came around a tree bend, lit by the torch in his hand. _

_"Lucy! I'm here! _

_"Ed?"_

"_I've got you, Lu."_

Another splash to the face was all she needed to bring her back to the riverbed. Edmund was laughing while Peter was pushing Susan in. Lucy felt a soft breeze blow on her face and through her hair. A shiver went down her spine. It continued until she realized it wasn't a breeze at all, but fingers drawing circles on her forehead, soothing and calming.

Lucy sank deep into the motion of the hand alleviating her anxiety. She wanted to be far from the dark woods, the cold, and the blood of the previous memory. Though something about it felt right. Edmund's face in the firelight of his torch crossed her mind in a fleeting second.

But her thoughts were easily returned to the summer day in the water by the hand gently rubbing her forehead, fingers running through her hair. It reminded her of how her mother would help her get through a bad sickness. It was the same thing her big brothers and sister did after many hard-fought battles or nightmares. But it was also a way Illnath tortured her, coaxing her awake many times in an act of remembrance of her family, of safety, only to then slap her or drag her by her hair out of her cell. He used it as his twisted version of soothing her after beatings, talking about her siblings and how much they missed her. His dark smile etched its way into her visions of the riverbed. Suddenly her siblings were gone. She heard Edmund yelling for her again, searching for her.

_Lucy!_

The river she was standing in knee high ran red. The sky above went black. And suddenly Lucy's eyes shot open as she grabbed the wrist of the hand comforting her.

"Lucy!" Susan yelled but it wasn't out of fear.

Lucy stared at her sister for a moment, faces close, before her head shot around franticly. She was not where she imagined. There was no river or woods, nor was it dark. She was laying on a cot in a bright tent with light filtering through a slight opening in the flap. Peter rushed to her side.

"Lu? Lucy, it's alright, you're safe. You're with us." He reached for her but she pulled back. Peter's hopeful face fell instantly.

"It's alright, it's just us." Susan pleaded and Lucy turned to look at her again. Her grip on Susan's wrist tightened as she dug her fingernails into flesh.

"Lucy, you're hurting me."

She loosened her grip only slightly. Multiple thoughts were running through Lucy's head, yet she was still so confused. Her siblings were there, loving and concerned over her, like in all her happy dreams she had while locked up in Illnath's keep. They were the one thing that kept her sane, that helped her get through the long, cold, painful nights, and the agonizing days. Her siblings were her protection, even without being there.

But it all seemed too good to be true. It felt so real, but it couldn't be. It had to be another of Illnath's illusions. A horrid nightmare disguised as a daydream to make it all the more painful once realized. He had to of known that all she wanted was to be back with her brothers and sister, and even that he felt the need to take away, his cruelty unending. The telltale sign – the loving hand that was only a ploy, used to abuse her.

Lucy tightened her grip on Susan's wrist again. "No," she whispered, "Whatever spell this is end it now!"

"Lu, this isn't a spell, you're safe." Peter's eyes were pained, his voice straining for Lucy to hear the conviction in it.

"Get away from me!" Lucy threw Susan's wrist away and bolted upright on her cot.

"It's us, it's your family!" Susan yelled but it was no use.

"You're not my family!"

"Of course we are. It's me – Peter, and Sus-"

"How dare you! My mind is my one safe place, my only solitude, the only place I can see my family and you invade that too! Can you not grant me this one mercy?"

"Lu..." Peter had tears brimming his eyes while Susan's were already running down her face. "What did he do to you?"

Lucy steeled herself against the back of her cot, heart beating wildly, eyes wet with tears, breathing heavy. When would this nightmare end? It was too good, too kind. She would not allow herself to fall for that again, no matter how much she wanted too.

"Lucy," Edmund, who had been standing in the corner of the tent, was now standing at the end of her cot. She had been so scared, so caught off guard once opening her eyes and having Peter and Susan in her face, that she hadn't noticed him. He stared at her quietly. He seemed much paler than she remembered him being. So different than the boy at the riverbed.

His shoulders were sagging, fighting against his usually straight posture, and his eyes were bloodshot. He knelt on one knee, becoming eye level with her and spoke again once he knew he had her attention.

"Lucy, do you remember last night? The forest?" The image of him illuminated by the torch flashed once more in her mind. Was it real?

Edmund saw a quick flash of recognition flick across her face. He slowly continued speaking. "I carried you back to camp, Lu. I wrapped you in my cloak and stopped the bleeding on your side."

Lucy reached her hand down to touch her side. She remembered the blood seeping through her shirt. The wetness. But now, it was dry. Looking down she found she was wearing a clean shirt and could feel a bandage wrapped around her. All at once other memories flooded before her eyes.

_"Just hold on Lu, I'm going to get you help. We'll have you cleaned up in no time. Then you'll be off to...to tea parties with the fauns and dances with the nymphs and whatever else you'd like. But you have to hold on, Lucy. If you can do that, then, then – Peter and Susan are going to give you endless amounts of doting and you can eat as many of my chocolates as you want." _

_... _

_"Edmund, get it off, get it off me! Please! _

_... _

_"Lucy, you have to trust me. Do you trust me? I'm going to get this thing off your wrist. I promise." _

_… _

_"Lucy, stay awake! Please stay awake!"_

Everything from the night before bombarded her, hitting Lucy like a punch to the gut. She glanced down at the metal cuff still shackled around her wrist. It made her shiver. "Edmund, what did I ask you to do, what did you promise me?"

Peter and Susan looked to their younger brother, but Edmund's eyes never left Lucy. "Do you trust me, Lu?"

"Yes." Lucy answered quick and sternly, still testing her brothers answer.

Edmund reached out towards her. Lucy hesitated for a moment. Edmund stilled when she did. He was waiting on her, giving her the time she needed. When she didn't move, he continued to reach out and put her hand in his, his thumb grazing the cuff.

"I promised to get that shackle off your wrist. And I will. I've already had people try. It's bound by magic, a spell that Illnath put on it. We've been put a reversal spell on it, hoping to counteract it so he at least can't track you by it. But the council are searching every spell book, all the old records of magic, anything and everything we can think of to remove it completely. They're translating an old spell as we speak that we believe will work. There has to be a way to get it off, and we will find it. I promise you. You just have to trust me."

Edmund said exactly what he said last night. Giving the same promises, asking for the same trust, all said with the same conviction that he would in fact remove the cuff. Lucy knew she got out of that keep the night before. She knew she found Edmund. What she didn't know was how far she got or if Illnath had caught up. He could have and this could all be another spell to play tricks on her mind by making her hopeful as punishment for escaping. But something about it felt right, it felt real. More real than any dream she had or vision Illnath ever induced. Her siblings found her. She was with her family and her people. She had to be, right? Aslan, what is the truth?

The four sat in silence for a few heavy breaths as Lucy stared hard. Then it hit her.

Lucy reached forward towards Edmund haphazardly. Nearly slapping him as she pushed his cheek to the side, her fingers found the small, unnoticeable nick behind his left ear from a long past sword fight. Illnath wouldn't have known about it, and there is no way an illusion would fabricate such detail. Being this close to him she felt the heat radiate off his body, another detail always missing from her dreams. This was real. This was truth. Thank Aslan.

Lucy's tears finally broke through and poured down her cheeks. "You're real. You're all real." She shot forward, wrapping her arms around Edmund, clinging to her brother with every ounce of strength she had left. Peter and Susan followed suit, enveloping her in the safety and love she felt was lost for so long. The warmth she had felt in the darkness continued to spread, like it had her first time in Narnia, as the White Witch was losing power and Aslan was on the move. Illnath had not won and he wasn't going to.


	2. Chapter 2

**I want to thank everyone who has read the first chapter of this and left reviews! I can't tell you how much it means to me! I have had a lot of ideas for this story but nothing that fully came together. So when I posted it I really was just going to leave it a One Shot. But so many people have been reading and the story has been stuck on my mind so I wanted to put another part to it out to give some context. I'll probably add a few more chapters, though this is going to be a little different lay out than most stories.**

**Thanks so much for reading! Please let me know what you think. You guys are fantastic! **

**As always, I own nothing.**

Peter said she'd be fine. Told her that he couldn't take the time out of his schedule to spend time with her. He couldn't be bothered. Not then. Not when there had been so much to do.

_And then it had become his biggest regret._

Now Peter looked at all three of his younger siblings. Piled together, they were all finally asleep. Lucy right in the middle, her bruised face prominent against her ghostly pale skin. Why had he brushed her off that day? He'd asked himself that every day that followed. Every day she was gone. He beat himself up for it daily, and to make matters worse he blamed and took out his frustrations on Susan and Edmund when they hadn't done anything wrong, when they were seeking him out for comfort. They were hurting just as much as he was. And he had turned them away like he had Lucy that day. He had yelled at them once Lucy was gone, even though he was so grateful that they were safe and with him that it nearly hurt. He had apologized profusely for it. He hated how out of control he felt by the whole situation. He was supposed to take care of them, after all.

_Some job I've done._

But here they all were now. Safe. Together. It had felt like so long since this was something real, something attainable. Thank Aslan it was now.

Lucy had cried. Which shredded any last bit of his heart that had remained intact. Once she was sure she was really with her family she sobbed, which made her siblings do so as well. It was not an easy homecoming, but at the same time, it was the best thing Peter felt since hearing she disappeared.

Peter remembered that day so well. Tumnus came asking first. Lucy hadn't met him for afternoon tea like they planned. None of the servants had seen her in hours. A couple of guards mentioned they had seen her walk out towards the ocean. The mermaids reported hearing yelling from shore, but it didn't last long.

"Peter, she's not here. No one has seen her. I'm really getting worried – Lucy wouldn't just wander off for so long without telling anyone where she was going. And she most definitely wouldn't have missed Mr. Tumnus. He just got back from Lantern Waste." Susan had said.

A few hours later it was Edmunds turn to speak his worries.

"Her dagger and cordial were found near the tree line. Some of the brush was trampled and broken. Like someone tore through it in a hurry. I really think something's happened to Lucy."

Needless to say, none of the work Peter told Lucy he had to get done actually was accomplished that day. If only he had paid her attention.

It was a week later before any word of her surfaced. As plain as day too, as Lucy found herself thrust through a door, landing hard on her already bruised hands and knees, staring at very familiar tile flooring.

'_It can't be_.' She thought. She heard gasps and commotion. But all she could do was stare at the tile a moment longer, hope rising in her. Tentatively Lucy looked up to stare at the stark faces of her brothers and sister. All three jumped from their throne. Just as Lucy was yanked back up by Illnath, a knife pressed to her throat, stopping Peter in his tracks as he was the fastest running towards her.

A door. A large wooden door that had once been inside of Illnath's Keep was now standing lone and wide open in the middle of Cair Paravel's throne room. Lucy had seen a light before being pushed through. She had no idea this is where she would have ended up.

The eldest three Pevensie's had been holding a court with their leading captains and counselors to discuss any news about Lucy and to plan the next best choice of action. Armies and parties had been sent out searching since the night she hadn't come home. Peter, Susan, and Edmund had racked their brains thinking of where she might be. But nothing much had turned up. And now here she was, the lost Queen, appearing in her home. But she was nothing close to safe or sound.

Dressed in a fine gown, sure. But free of bruises and cuts was not Lucy's fate. She was meant to look like a like a hurt little girl playing dress up. And she felt like one, especially with the cuff strapped tight around her wrist. That few weeks she had endured an odd assortment of treatment. Some days she was allowed to come out of her cell. She'd get to walk around. She'd be responsible for keeping the place clean, for tending to the enclosed garden, for making Illnath his supper. And every night after setting his food out he would ask her to sit and eat with him. But she was also questioned throughout the day. Questioned about her family, about ruling Narnia, about Spare Oom and Aslan. But no matter how honest her answers may have been, if Illnath was displeased with any of them, Lucy would be punished.

And then there were the visions. There he really got creative. Illnath used much of his power to mimic memories and stories Lucy had been compelled to tell him about her family. Other times he would just make things up, producing false memories that felt so real, so good and true.

Then there were the times he would warp her brothers and sister. Twisting her visions to show a family that hated her, that was glad to have her gone. One that didn't love her, that saw her as their own burden to raise. Illnath would either sit back and watch or play the parts of Peter, Susan, and Edmund whenever he pleased. As Peter, he yelled at and hit Lucy. As Susan he would say the cruelest of things, honing in on her biggest insecurities and doubts. And as Edmund he'd lead Lucy through dark woods and cold mountains, promising a safe journey only to hand her over to the White Witch with a grin.

But the worst of the visions were when Illnath showed Lucy just how her siblings were really handling her being gone. Lucy watched as Peter yelled at and fought with Susan and Edmund. How Susan cried and prayed for Lucy's safe return. How Edmund searched frantically, never allowing a moments rest. She watched as all three of them barely slept, allowing their other duties to fall to the wayside as they never ceased in their search. Of how a rift was forming between them as they constantly bickered back and forth.

But he never once showed the three of them coming together, finding comfort, forgiveness, and strength with one another. He didn't show her the late night talks, the family prayers said, or how the three tended to cling to one another when together, silently refusing to leave each other's side no matter how much they argued. Only the parts that hurt were allowed to be seen by Lucy, feeding into the idea of a broken family.

And then he'd leave Lucy alone to shiver at night and ponder over which of the visions she saw were real – if any of the punched Peter threw at her were real, as she rubbed at the bruises they left. If Susan really was lying awake, crying at night, or happier with her gone. Or if Edmund was searching for her out in the middle of the night, or just fighting with Peter over nonsense like when he was little. All of it gnawed at Lucy, left her aching and longing even more for her family so she could make sure things were set right. She prayed and prayed and prayed. And she endured and endured and endured. That's why having that little bit of a hope that filled her once she recognized the tile under her hurt so bad once taken away.

It hurt Peter, Susan, and Edmund too. The memory of that night was raw in their minds. And as Peter thought back on it, it still hurt, even if Lucy was sleeping soundly by him now, for the first time in so long. He could still see that knife pressed to her neck.

**** _Flashback_****

"_You know she's talked about you. About how your three were going to find her – going to save her. Must be kind of a let down_ _knowing that I had to bring you to them, huh Lucy? That your big brothers and sister, who are supposed to _protect _you, couldn't even do that? _

_Lucy only jerked her head away as best as she could as Illnath's face angled towards her, breath hot on her cheek. Peter's jaw clenched tight, teeth grinding. _

_Lucy couldn't stand this. If she had no choice but to stand there and be defiled in this way in her own throne room she would at least fight back. She pulled her face back to him with a harsh tone and a jerking of her body. "Why did you bring me here? Afraid your little plan would fail? That you needed to go ahead and bring me home before you were found out?" _

"_Oh no, dear one. This is just for fun." _

"_It won't be when your head is removed from your neck." Peter interjected, raising Rhindon. _

_Illnath_ _simply laughed. "I'd love to see you try, _High King Peter_." He spit out the title. _

"_Stop using a young girl as your shield,_ you pathetic excuse _for a man, and you will." _

_Illnath_ _quirked up an eyebrow. "I imagine you're requesting a game of skill? You may be outmatched, your Highness." _

_Peter didn't falter, his gaze unyielding, making the room colder. He raised his sword higher. _

_Illnath_ _smiled. "Well then of course. Who am I to refuse a King." and with that he threw Lucy onto the ground._

_Peter dashed forward, wielding Rhindon, ready to come down on the man. His strides were quick and wide, clearing the space in mere seconds, only to be jolted to a stop. _

_Peter couldn't move. His sword was hoisted above his head and he was just a ten feet away from Illnath and Lucy. He forced himself forward as best he could, willing himself to take another step and finish the job he intended, but he wasn't able to. His eyes flicked to Lucy, who was on her hands and knees, looking at him with knit eyebrows, fear and worry etched on her face, but not surprise. She had expected something like this. _

_Peter looked back at Illnath_ _who was simply holding his hand out, an almost delirious smile plastering his face. He burst out laughing, something that sounded cold, yet sincere. He was keeping Peter from moving and truly enjoying it. _

"_Oh Lucy, do you think we should have warned him? Though you'd have thought that our grand entrance would have been enough to make him realize I have magic and I'm quite good at it." _

_At that moment Illnath_ _caught a swift movement from the corner of his eye. Susan, Edmund, and soldiers had started running forward. _

"Stop!" _Illnath's_ _tone turned dark in an instance. Everyone in the throne room except for Lucy froze in place just as Peter had._

"_How stupid do you all have to be? I mean honestly, I knew losing Lucy would make you desperate but I didn't think it'd make you foolhardy. Interesting." _

_Lucy looked around the room, taking in the scene. She looked to Edmund and Susan and watched their faces contort as they struggled unsuccessfully to move. _

"_Why are you doing this – what do you want?!" Lucy had had enough. The strain was unbearable. The second she recognized the tiled floor she felt hope rushing into her. She knew it was a dangerous feeling to have when Illnath_ _was around. But then she'd seen her siblings and thought there was a chance. Until now. _

_Illnath_ _only blinked at her. _

"_I said,_ why _are you doing this?" Lucy's blood ran cold. She felt she could breathe fire at that moment. _

"_Because someone had to!" Venom dripped from his voice when Illnath_ _replied. He cleared his throat then, looking like he was bothered he'd let himself get riled up. He returned his attention to Peter. _

"_Young king, you should know Lucy talked about you. She talked about you as well, Susan, Edmund. She spoke often of her home here and how she has missed it. Oh, but don't worry, I took care of her quite well, or at least I tried to. If only she'd not been so stubborn when it came to obeying the rules. You three really should work on that. Hasn't it been your job to raise her? I'm ashamed of the way she has been acting. It really makes you all look bad. Anyways, I fed her and clothed her and gave her somewhere to sleep, just as you all would. Though she never seemed grateful. Is she like that with you? Children. They're all bad, aren't they? Oh, but I'm sure you tried. Lucy is just a difficult one. She chooses to learn the hard way. Which is why she had to be punished. Often. No bother though, I really didn't mind. I found quite some innovative ways to" he glanced at her, "well, help her learn her lessons. I –_"

_"Stop it." Lucy's eyes were closed. Her mind was trying not to flash back to her learning her lessons. She couldn't even look at her siblings. They already had to see the awful state she was in. Lucy couldn't bear them being forced to hear all the ways he tormented her, too. _

_Illnath_ _stilled at her words and turned his gaze over to where she was on the floor. _

"_Just stop it. You can do what you want to me, just leave them alone. They don't need to hear this. I don't want them to." _

_Illnath_ _looked inquisitively at her like he had many times before. "Dear Lucy, don't you understand? I don't want to hurt them. I've brought us here to give your brothers and sister the thing they've wanted most, the thing you've wanted most for so long." _

_Lucy looked confused and when she didn't answer Illnath_ _decided to show her what he meant. _

_Illnath_ _looked to Peter and with a flick of his wrist, the King was released from the spell so quickly he nearly dropped Rhindon. Peter went to run to Lucy but stopped himself, unsure of what Illnath_ _was up to. He glanced at Lucy for some inkling of understanding but found her to be just as lacking. _

"_What are you waiting for? There he is, there is your big brother, Lucy. I've brought you home." Illnath_ _looked genuinely confused as to why Lucy wasn't catching on. For her part, Lucy looked just the same. There was no way Illnath_ _was just going to let her go. She looked to Peter. His face was pained, desperate. She could tell all he wanted was to run to her, but was thinking it was a trap. Lucy thought the same but when she returned her gaze to Illnath_ _he was simply waiting, gesturing for her to go to Peter. _

_But she didn't dare move. She couldn't think straight. Too many thoughts were running through her head, This_ _was the closest she had been to being safe since she was taken. This was the chance she'd been praying for. Peter was right there, so close. Her heart ached while her wounds stung. Her muscles were screaming to run to her brother but her mind was telling her not to go, that it was a horrible trap. That Illnath_ _would only rip her back to him with magic. That she would be tormented once again. _

_But she didn't care. Nothing he could do to her would be much worse than what he already had. And her family was here, and the guards. There was a chance for projection. _

_So_ _Lucy ran. She stumbled but took no noticed as she hurried as fast as her legs could take her to her brother. Peter's heart felt like it stopped beating when she took off. He shot a glance at Illnath_ _who only stood still, looking pleased. Peter took steps forward, meeting Lucy, and wrapped her into his arms, an embrace that felt stronger than any he'd ever given her. He had her, she was safe as long as he had her because he wasn't letting go no matter what. _

_Lucy heaved a cry into Peter's chest once she hit it. He stumbled back slightly with her force but immediately wrapped her up so tight she felt like she couldn't hardly breathe. She didn't mind, though. Peter was warm and good and safe. He was home. She was safe as long as he had her. _

_Peter kept Lucy pulled into his side with one arm as he raised Rhindon_ _again with his other. _

"_Oh, how she has longed for you, Peter. You should have seen the dreams she has had. I even gifted her with visions of you and your siblings. Of all your favorite places. She was always so happy to see you. But then again with the crying and yelling at me as soon as they were gone. So, I finally started showing her visions of you three dying so she'd be happy when she awoke, knowing you were safe. And then there were the times I showed her how you three were handling her being gone. I was surprised to see how easily you blame Susan and Edmund for her disappearance to make yourself feel better Peter. I mean, it is your job to protect them all isn't it? After all, you are their big brother. And all your sister and brother wanted was reassurance and comfort from you, yet you couldn't do any of that, could you? Pity, really, they look up to you so. Can't say I know why. I speculate it has something to do with the lack of a parental figure. They cling to whatever is available. Even if that person only berates them." _

"_Shut up." Lucy spat. _

_Illnath_ _clucked his tongue. "Really Lucy, is that any way to talk to someone who just did you a favor? This was what I was talking about, her behavior is appalling." _

_Ignoring what he said about Lucy, Peter felt the guilt rising in him at Illnath's_ _words about himself. He knew he was telling the truth about him blaming Susan and Edmund, but he apologized for that. He tried to make it right. He was trying to do the same now for Lucy. He put on a brave face and tightened his grip on her and his sword. But he was at a loss for ideas on how to handle their current situation. If he let Lucy go, would Illnath get a hold of her again? If he tried to strike him, would he be frozen once more? How do you fight someone like this? He decided to keep him talking to get more out of him, and to get some more time to come up with a plan. _

"_What do you get out of hurting a little girl? Whatever problem you have with me, you didn't need to hurt Lucy to solve it." _

"_There you go again, Peter, making things all about you." Illnath_ _turned his gaze beyond Peter. "Susan, Edmund, you must know what I'm talking about. I mean really, it has to get tiring hearing the High King constantly assume everything is about him. No, you really shouldn't flatter yourself, Peter, I took Lucy not because I have a vendetta against you, but because I have one against all _four _of you." _

"_Why? What did we ever do to you?"_

_But Peter didn't get an answer he was looking for.._

"_I paid close attention to you four. The stories are true, you are exceptionally close. But that only makes you easy targets. Remove one, and the other three will crumble, I figured. And if that were the case, how would you handle it? Would you live up to those titles? I'm not so sure that if I turned myself in right now that the Gentle Queen would be so gentle or kind in my treatment, and I doubt the Just King would treat me just as fair and mercifully as he did the captured Fell creatures." Illnath_ _paused, sending a pointed look to Narnia's other two leaders before returning to the two before him. "And well, Peter, you haven't been all that Magnificent, have you? I mean you can't even protect your innocent baby sister while she is in your arms. And now all of Narnia will see it."_

"_What do you mean?" Peter questioned._

_Illnath_ _paused, his eyes catching glimpse_ _of something and flicking back to Edmund for a split second with an unreadable, almost nervous, gaze before he snapped his fingers. _

_That's when Lucy screamed._

"_Peter! Peter?" Lucy starting clutching onto her brother for dear_ _life._

"_Lu? Lucy, what is it? What's wrong?!" And that's when Peter noticed. Lucy's grip started loosening no matter how hard she tried to hang on with her face fading before his eyes._

"_No no_ _no_ _no_ _no. Lucy, Lucy it's okay I got you. Stay with me." Peter grappled trying to keep a hold on his sister. But it seemed like his efforts made it worse. She continued to fade away._

"_Peter," Lucy looked up to her oldest brother and just stared at him with matching blue eyes. Peter felt sick. He must have looked completely mad to everyone else as he tried his hardest to keep the wisps of smoke and fog that was quickly becoming Lucy in his grasp. But still she faded until she was gone, slipping through his fingers like sand. _

_Peter, Susan, and Edmund all felt their hearts drop when they saw Lucy appear once again locked in Illnath's_ _arms. The cuff on her wrist glowed a bright, burning red. Lucy had unshed tears in her eyes as she looked at her siblings. They were so close but she felt so far away. The warmth she felt when next to Peter was quickly slipping away from her._

_She tried to fight Illnath, to push out of his embrace. But his grip only tightened as he chanted something under his breath. Wind started filling the room and clasps of thunder. The room erupted in voices as Narnian's were loosening from the spell._

_Lucy continued to struggle against Illnath. He slapped her hard and grabbed hold of the cuff around her wrist. Just then Edmund came running into view, flying past Peter. He reached Illnath_ _and came down hard with his sword. Illnath_ _swerved, pulling Lucy and himself backward. Edmund swung again, careful to miss Lucy, and slashed Illnath's_ _cheek. _

_The sorcerer cried out in pain as an arrow whistled by, embedding itself into Illnath's_ _shoulder. He doubled over for only a second before gripping Lucy tighter. Susan wanted to send another but couldn't get a clear shot as Illnath_ _pulled Lucy in front of him. _

"_It's been a pleasure, your Highnesses." Illnath_ _said through clenched teeth as the door they came through flew open. Lucy tried to fight him but suddenly felt drained of all her strength. His grip on her cuff was sucking the energy straight from her once again. She was shoved through the door with Illnath_ _on her heels and landed hard on the cold, dark stone floor of his keep._

_Edmund swung once more as Illnath_ _went to step through. But he had been a moment too late, only having caught the sorcerer's garment. Peter, who was right behind Edmund, pushed the door open and jumped through, only to find himself still in his throne room. The door post fell backwards at the movement and dissipated into thin air, sending up a flurry of smoky wisps in its place. _

Peter let out a shudder at the memory of watching Lucy fade. Of having her in his arms only to watch her get taken away while he could do nothing to stop it. He looked at her now, the cuff that connects her to Illnath still on her wrist, yet while also being surrounded by her family, and silently thanked Aslan that he had another chance of keeping her safe. And begged the Great Lion that he wouldn't fail again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! I know it's been a couple of weeks since I've updated this. To be honest, life is really busy, I have another story I'm actively updating, and this story has been consistently hard for me to decide upon how I want to write it. But I have found a grove trying something new for me with this story. **

**Each chapter is coming from a different Pevensie's point of view and is a mix of flashbacks and the current time line. This way you guys reading learn more each chapter about the context of the story, but aren't given it in the basic linear fashion. I hope it works out and is something you all enjoy. I'm a little worried it will be confusing. As I mentioned, this is new for me but I think it is an interesting take. I know others have done this before so hopefully I can make it work. Let me know what you think and if it makes sense. And, I'm sure you are all smart enough to realize this, but just for easy clarification, what is italicized is a flashback and was isn't is the present time in the story.**

**Thanks for reading! **

**~ Scarlett**

_It had been too long. Much too long since Edmund had laid eyes on his little sister. They had scoured Narnia everywhere they could think of. He had spent days in the Western Woods, his woods. He always loved this part of Narnia. It was a comfort and a place of refuge. But it wasn't feeling that way anymore. In the middle of the day, it seemed that the sun could no longer reach through the branches and leaves and make its way to the forest floor. And at night, as it was that night, it seemed much too quiet as an unnatural darkness set in. _

_He had been there for days with his company of the army. And regardless of the large amount_ _of soldiers looking, as well as the innumerous volunteers, nothing was being found. Energy had left Edmund days ago, now he was simply running on fumes. Hope had stayed much longer, but even it too was strained and pulling him in every direction, leaving him feeling thin and worn out. And just before he completely snapped in two, he heard a yell._

"_King Edmund! Where is King Edmund?" One called._

"_Or a Captain or a General?" Squeaked a small voice._

"_Please, it's urgent!" The last voice came, all three of them high pitched and frantic and jumbling together._

_Edmund looked through the many soldiers walking by and found up ahead a rabbit, a chipmunk, and a squirrel rushing through the camp site in the dimming light. Truly, if it were not for the torches lit nearby, he would have missed them amongst all the much larger soldiers. Oreius_ _came to them before Edmund reached the trio._

"_What is this? What is your news?" He asked in a deep, yet weary, voice._

"_We need the King! We heard he was here with the army!" The chipmunk bellowed._

"_Is he still here? Oh_ _please say he's here! He must be here,_ _she needs him to be here!" The squirrel said so quick that it was hard to understand at first._

_Before Oreius_ _got the chance to speak Edmund ran up beside him and pushed into view._

"_I am King Edmund, what is your news, who needs me?" Edmund felt a ringing running through him and a slight fear._

"_We found a girl! In the woods!" yelled the chipmunk._

"_She needs help! She asked for us to bring help!" The squirrel sped out._

_Edmund's heart pounded. But he wouldn't allow himself to hope too much. These woodland creatures seemed naïve and not the most reliable sort in their excitement. He needed a name. "Who is the girl, why did she need help? How do you know of her?"_

_This time the rabbit spoke, sticking out his arm to silence and calm his companions. "We were walking through the woods, a dark part of it that was very quiet on our way home. We were talking when we heard a voice call out. She must have heard us. We ran towards it and found a girl. She said she was the Queen Lucy and she needed our help to get out of the woods. But she was hurt, you see. A bad wound. When she stood and tried to walk, she only fell. We tried to help her,_ _we did, Sire. Only we were too small. But we told her the army had been looking for her, that a brigade wasn't too far off, that I'd seen it just this morning. She sent us here for help, said if either of the Kings or Queen Susan were here, to tell them. So, we came straight here, Sire. We didn't stop once."_

"_And I value that more than you know. Can you take me to her?" Edmund's heart didn't let up, his legs ached to start running right then. His mind was racing and he was having to remind himself to stay steady and calm in spite of it all. 'Aslan, let this be true.'_

"_Yes, your Majesty, we can." Said the rabbit quickly._

"_Of course_ _we can! We know the way – straight away!" The squirrel buzzed with energy as the chipmunk nodded emphatically. _

_Edmund stood and faced Oreius. "Get the groups together, have them expand their search to the surrounding areas that these three lead_ _us to. If Lucy is out there then we bring her back. Tonight."_

"_Yes, my liege." _

_And then they were off. Suddenly the camp was a flurry with soldiers and volunteers running about, lighting more torches, readying their groups. Edmund remembers the gust of it all, the furor. And then he was moving, running right behind the scurrying animal leading the way. The heat of his torch scorched his face as sweat started to bead down his forehead and back. He heard the swish of leaves and the trample of brush underfoot. His heartbeat pounded in his head all the while he sent a mismatch of prayers to Aslan and wishes to Lucy for her to be safe._

"_Lucy! Lucy, where are you?!" _ _He didn't even realize he had been yelling her name over and over. That is, until he heard an answer._

"_Ed!?" _

_Edmund's breathing hitched but his feet kept moving. Did he really hear that? Was it real? Or was his mind playing tricks on-_

"_Edmund, I'm here – over here!" _

_He knew it was real that time. It had to be. In the distance he could hear dogs barking, other Narnian's rummaging through the forest. Torches blinked in and out of trees as their holders ran throughout the woods. The woodland creatures guiding Edmund were nearly breathless but kept on. _

"_This way – she's over here!" cried the squirrel._

"_Edmund!" The voice yelled again._

"_Lucy, I'm coming! Hold on!"_

_Edmund ran and ran. The darkness and the forest and his fear twisted his sense of direction, but he persisted without missing a beat. 'Aslan, let her be okay. Let her really be here. Let this be over, please!'_

_The rabbit, chipmunk, and squirrel kept their pace with Edmund quick on their heels. They moved around trees and sprinted over fallen branches. Suddenly, the trio leading whirled around a bend quicker than Edmund. When he turned it, he found the small animals had stopped just ahead. Looking up, he saw a something huddled on the ground, hurt, bloody, and bruised in the far reaches of the torch light. It's wild eyes looked up and Edmund knew._

"_Lucy! I'm here!" Edmund ran forward, sliding to his knees before her._

"_Ed?" her voice cracked and her face was a mix of fear and hope. She looked at him disbelievingly. _

_Edmund looked her over in the torch light. She seemed frail and black and blue. Her face was bruised and held fresh scrapes. Her hair and eyes were wild. But most shocking to him was how cold she was. She was absolutely freezing. He yanked his cloak from around him and wrapped her in it. She jumped at his movement and then shivered as the sudden warmth sent chills down her spine. Tears wetted her eyes and she reached out and touched her brother as he tied the cloak to keep it in place. _

_Edmund looked at her in the eye. "Ed?" she choked out once more._

_Edmund's heart nearly broke at the sound alone. "I've got you, Lu." And he did. He refused to let go._

"_Don't leave, Eddie. Please don't go anywhere this time."_

_Edmund froze in place. "I'm not. I would never leave you." He was utterly confused at her words. She knew he'd never walk away from her. He hated to wonder why she'd even think that or what 'time' she was referring to._

_Edmund put an arm around her, helping her stand. They tried to walk, but found very quickly that Lucy couldn't get far. She stumbled and fell into him, clutching in pain at her side. That is when Edmund was able to see the large crimson spot on her clothes. She was wounded far greater than just the cuts and bruises. _

_Edmund bundled the ends of the cloak to one side and made her clutch it. _

"_Lucy, I need you to hold this down on your side, to stop the bleeding, okay?" She nodded and, tentatively, Edmund picked her up. She winced and her head lulled onto his shoulder as he started rushing back to camp, the three woodland creatures leading the way._

"_Alright, Lu, you keep that pressure on your side." He said again. And she did for a moment before reverting to the habit Peter knew all three of his younger siblings had when they were thoroughly shaken. Lucy let go of the cloak and balled her first into Edmund's shirt, holding on like he might disappear any moment._

"_Lucy, your wound-"_

"_Everything hurts Edmund."_

"_I know, I know. But I'm taking you back to camp. Were going to make sure you feel all better, alright?"_

"_I'm tired. I'm so tired." _

"_Just hold on Lu, I'm going to get you help. We'll have you cleaned up and feeling better in no time. Then you'll be off to..." Edmund paused to think of the very best things he could, of some of Lucy's favorite things. "To tea parties with the fauns and dances with the nymphs and whatever else you'd like. But you have to hold on, Lucy. If you can do that, then, then – Peter and Susan are going to give you endless amounts of doting and you can eat as many of my chocolates as you want." And he meant it. He would give her whatever she liked. Just so long as she would stay with him so he'd get the chance to give them to her._

"_Peter and Susan. Are they here too?" Lucy sounded longingly. _

"_They will be. Soon."_

"Soon." _The word sounded whole when she said it. "I've been gone for a long time, haven't I?"_

_Edmund felt a lump in his throat. "Yeah, yeah you have. But you're back now. That's all that matters."_

"_I hope I get to stay." she mumbled. _

_He couldn't speak after that. She said it so wistfully, so tired like. Edmund thought sweat was dripping down his forehead, clouding his eyes. But it was much more likely tears. "You aren't going anywhere, Lu."_

_The next thing Edmund knew, he was back in camp – a flurry of voices and lights and people. Their healers were yelling, leading him into a tent. Someone told him to lay her down on a cot. Edmund bent down to do so but Lucy clung to him, refusing to let go._

"_It's okay, Lucy, I'm right here, I just have to sit you down. So they can help." Edmund pried her hands from his shirt when she whimpered and protested._

"_Edmund?" Lucy's hands went flying out in search of her brother. Edmund clasped them in his. _

_And then the next thing he knew, he was having to hold down her arms as she screamed in pain, limbs flailing. The healers were cutting the bottom half of her shirt to see to the wound. _

"_We've got to keep her still! Hold her down!" One faun yelled._

_Edmund had her arms as others grabbed her legs. Edmund knew for sure it was tears blurring his eyes this time as he restrained his little sister, listening to her scream. _

_And then it intensified. But the healers weren't touching her wound yet. That wasn't what was causing the extreme pain. The golden cuff strapped tightly around her wrist caught everyone's attention as it started glowing like it had that day in the throne room, only this time it was brighter. The runes etched into it shone like burning stars._

_Lucy's face was contorted and beat red as sweat dripped off her, her hair matted down. She convulsed more on the little cot and was held down even more. "Edmund, get it off, get it off me! Please!"_

"_The cuff? What's happening? why's it doing that?" he asked frantically, eyes wide and wild._

"_Illnath_ _\- he's casting a spell!" She choked as she tried to gulp in more air, shrieking in between gritted teeth. "He's trying to get me back – like before!" _

_The image of her disappearing from Peter's grasp flashed through Edmunds mind. A panic hard and hot ripped through him painfully. He couldn't let that happen, not now, not again. 'Aslan please, help! Please Aslan, don't let him take Lucy again, I'm begging you!'_

_Another cry escaped Lucy. _

"_It's okay, it's okay, Lu!" Edmund yelled. 'Aslan, please. I'll do anything, I'll take her place, just please-'_

_Suddenly an old centaur, Ridgecrest, was stomping inside the tent. He was beside Edmund in a split second, looking down over Lucy. A thick old book was in his hands and he started reading out of it a language none in there had ever heard before. He chanted, a strong, harsh sound coming out of him, voice rising as Lucy's cries did. He hit a crescendo along with her._

_And suddenly he stopped, snapping the book shut. His dark eyes were hung over by hooded eyelids but his gaze was intense as he studied the Queen. Lucy let out a huge breath, tears squeezing out of her eyes. Her breathing came in hard, laborious gulps. She was shaking and whimpering. But the yelling had stopped as the cuff's burning glow died out._

_She slowly peeled her eyes open, scanning wildly for her brother. "E-Ed?"_

"_I'm here, I'm right here." Edmund let his weight off of her arms where he had been holding her down and wiped the tears off her face. _

"_I can't keep it on – please – it's got to come off. Or he'll take me back, Ed." She stopped a moment, still breathing heavy, words starting to slur. "This is how he controls me, his magic is strong but he can't keep it up...not without the cuff."_

"_I will, I will. I'll find a way to remove it."_

_Lucy's eyelids started to droop, but she forced them open. "Hurry. I don't want to go back – can't. Please, Edmund."_

"_Lucy, you have to trust me. Do you trust me? I'm going to get this thing off your wrist. I promise."_

_She nodded at him so very weakly before her eyes started to slip shut again. _

"_We need to keep the Queen awake, for as long as possible." Said one of the healers, a dwarf. _

"_Lucy, stay awake! Please stay awake!"_

_Edmund shook her and watched as Lucy once again forced her eyes open. Edmund tried talking to her to keep her attention. But it didn't last half a minute before Lucy's eyes closed completely, a darkness taking over her._

_….._

Edmund had thanked Aslan over and over that he was able to find Lucy in those woods. And he was beyond grateful to him that he was able to calm her down yesterday when she woke up. Even more so that she thought of searching for that scar behind his ear. He only hated that it took that much to assure her that she was safe and with her family, and not their mere presence alone. He hated seeing how badly her mind had been played with, that she had been so horribly treated and manipulated that she could be looking at her brothers and sister and turn away, begging to be left alone because it wasn't real. That it was too _good_ to be real.

Edmund could ring Illnath's neck. He wanted to. He didn't care that Illnath was right when he said Edmund would treat him worse than he did the Fell Creatures. It wasn't his fault, it was Illnath's. He asked for it when he stole Edmund's sister away. He begged for it when he laid a hand on her. And he sentenced himself to it when he forced false memories of a family that hated her.

To make it worse, Lucy still wasn't convinced when she woke up the this morning that it was all still real and not a made-up dream or illusion. She looked at Edmund, Susan, and Peter with uncertainty, fear in her eyes. That started a whole new conversation, much like the heartbreaking one the day before when she first woke up. Edmund had to take her hand and make her feel the scar again to be sure. But at least she was finally here and with them. Any damage done before that could finally start to heal. For all four of them.

Edmund sighed looking at Peter and Susan with Lucy now. It had been only a day since they were all reunited. None of them would leave each other. Edmund only got up now to retrieve food and water for lunch, but even that felt wrong. He watched his big brother and sister with their youngest sibling and thought how very luck he was to have older siblings like his. They doted over Lucy now, held her close, as Susan ran her fingers through Lucy's hair comfortingly and Peter tried everything he could think of to make her laugh. Lucy was relishing just being there, safe and secure and surrounded by the people who would protect her with their lives. Yes, he and Lucy both were lucky to have Susan and Peter.

Edmund thought back to the days spent with Lucy gone. Peter had gone all but mad with guilt and worry, constantly angry. Susan was racked with tears and fear, and Edmund, well he refused to stop, wouldn't rest until he had exhausted himself and every resource to their fullest. Then again, all three of them had been that way. They just handled what they were going through differently

Edmund hadn't blamed Peter for his anger, he just wished he'd stop putting it on him and Susan and place it where it belonged – on Illnath.

But it was funny, Peter would yell at him, say awful things, accuse Edmund of not caring that Lucy was taken, only to come to his room at night and sit with him. He'd make sure Edmund was getting sleep and staying safe when out scouting. He'd tell Edmund he shouldn't go anywhere alone, go over every spiel a big brother would to make sure his little brother was safe. And then once Edmund promised for the second or third time to follow everything he said, there would be a lull in the conversation. Then Peter would tell him he was sorry. That he didn't mean any of the cruel things he said earlier in the day or week.

And then the process would repeat the next day, Peter once again acting cruel and without concern for Edmund and Susan's feelings.

Peter only stopped taking out his anger on his brother and sister after the night Edmund finally yelled back at him. He had just returned from another unsuccessful search party.

…..

"_Edmund, you're back already. I didn't expect you for a few more days."_

"_I've already scoured that area of the Archenland border a week ago. I'm running out of places to look there. Nothing is coming of it."_

_Peter looked at Edmund with a cold glance. "So, that means we give up then?"_

_Edmund stifled a huff and released a sigh instead. How much more could Peter be on his case about? "Of course not. I'm not giving up I'm just changing my strategy."_

"_To what exactly? If you're home then what kind of plan to find Lucy are you working on. If she was here there'd be no need to keep looking." Peter spat it out like Edmund was stupid._

"_Don't you think I know that?"_

"_No, actually, I don't. If you did, you'd still be out there." Peter's blue eyes were like steel._

"_I haven't been home in nearly a week, Peter! I thought it best to check in with the family I still have around so they know that I haven't been taken too." Edmund was exasperated, he was so tired of his brother acting this way. _

"_You aren't the one I'm worried about." _

"_Clearly. Or else you'd stop acting like such an ass."_ _Edmund mumbled._

"_What did you say?" Peter turned to look him straight in the eye._

_Edmund stood still a moment, pondering whether or not it was worth it to repeat his words. But Peter took his silence as a sign of opposition and piped up._

"_Do you think I'm being unfair, Edmund? That I haven't been acting like I should? Like a High King?" He questioned with a fierce animosity._

_Edmund was retorting before he even realized it. "I don't think you've been acting like a _brother_, Peter. At least not a very good one." It shocked Edmund hearing the words actually come out of his mouth. But h_e had been holding back for too long to save his brother's feelings. It was time Peter hear it.

"_I haven't - me? Really, you are one to talk."_

"_Do you even hear yourself? You're so blind to everything you've been doing, Peter."_

"_I don't think that I'm the blind one here, Edmund."_

"_Oh really? Because if you were acting like yourself – like my brother – then you wouldn't have said what you did to Susan. You wouldn't have done what you did to her."_

_Peter flung his arms in the air. "Susan took that the wrong way, Ed. You know that! You know it wasn't intentional!"_

"_No, actually I don't." _Edmund repeated Peter's own words he had said to him. "_You were out of control. And regardless of whether or not your actions were accidental, your words certainly were not. And does it really matter if she took it wrong or not? It shouldn't have happened at all, Peter!"_

_Peter slammed a hand down on his desk. "Don't you think I know that! None of this should be happening - not to us, not to Lucy. Do you have any idea how much I've been doing? How little sleep I've gotten, how far I've travelled to search for Lucy? I've scoured every text of spells, every inch of land, talked to ever counselor and captain, incessantly intreated Narnian's for any kind of answer! I've been doing everything I can think of to get Lucy back and that makes you and Susan think that I am not a good brother?! "_

"_You've been doing Lucy right, Peter, but she isn't the only family you have and she is definitely not the only family who needs you right now! Illnath_ _is the one who took her but it's Susan and I you've been treating like your personal punching bags! Do you have any idea how that makes us feel? To see you lose your mind over finding Lucy but not care a thin chance about what happens to us? About how we're feeling? About how you're treating us? You're not the only one hurting, Peter!"_

"_Oh_ _stop acting like a child, Edmund! Lucy is missing! I'm sorry that I haven't been there to coddle you, to listen to you complain about our own problems, when she is the one who needs help! What do you think she is going through? What he is putting her through? I told her I couldn't spend time with her so she went down to that beach alone and she was taken. Then I had her again and he still found a way to take her back! She thought she was safe when he brought her back here and she wasn't and that falls on me! Do you even care about that at all? Care about what she is going through? Do you even _miss _her?!" _

_And then Peter found himself slammed against the wall, pinned in place, head bouncing as it hit the solid surface._

_When Edmund spoke, it was harsh and cold and brutally honest. "She is my little sister, too. Do not act like I love her any less than you do just because I'm not blaming _you _for letting her go. It wasn't your fault Peter. And it wasn't mine or Susan's either. All you've done is blame yourself and it makes you so angry that you can't bear it, so you put it on us. Take it out on us. I am trying so hard to keep my head above water, to keep us all above water, and the weight you're carrying keeps pulling us back under. I can't do it much longer, Pete. Not by myself. Susan and I have taken the brunt of your anger and guilt and I don't know how much longer all this can go on. I mean, do you have any idea the things you've said to us? That we aren't doing enough, aren't trying -_ that we don't care that she is gone_?" Edmund pushed harder, shaking as he spoke through clenched teeth, fist balling up Peter's tunic. "How could you even think that? You have torn both of us down since she went missing. Do you have any idea what that makes us feel like when you of all people – our big brother, the one who has practically raised us – says things like you have to us? Lucy being gone is killing us. Susan is right when she says we need to stick together, but how can we when every time we come to you you blame us? We need you Peter, we all do. And if you need to, you can take any anger you have out on me, I'll bear it for the both of us. But I need my brother. I can't handle this without you. None of us can. Now get over your guilt and your wounded pride before you lose all three of your siblings instead of just one." _

_Edmund's dark eyes bore into his brother's blue ones for a moment longer and then with a shove that still left Peter against the wall, Edmund walked away._

_….._

After that, Peter was angrier than before, but only for a short while. And then he was simply overburdened by guilt. Edmund's words made him realize just how he'd been acting. And he felt even guiltier for not only having let Lucy go, but for letting Edmund and Susan down. For blaming them. For hurting them worse than what they all already had been. Peter sat Edmund down, and later Susan, and apologized once again. But this time he made promises he intended to keep. He was no longer going to hurt his siblings. He was done with taking his anger out on them. It was also at this time, unbeknownst to them, that Illnath stopped showing Lucy her siblings fighting with each other, for there was nothing worth showing. They were coming together, no longer arguing but seeking one another out. Healing the wounds between each other. And Illnath couldn't show Lucy that, for it would be hope. So instead, he revved up the visions he created himself. He showed her false illusion of her brothers and sisters fighting, of them laughing at her being gone. He imitated them himself, playing their parts, and berated and abused Lucy.

All the while Edmund had become utterly relieved at the change he saw in Peter. He became his brother again. And he felt it most of all watching Peter now in Lucy's tent as he was becoming successful in making their sisters laugh. It made Edmund think back to yesterday, after Peter and Susan had finally gotten here. After Lucy, having found Edmund's scar, finally calmed down and eventually fell asleep again. Peter and Susan still stayed by her side for a good while, just watching over her as she slept. But once they got up, they turned their attention to their other younger sibling.

Edmund had tried to hide the toil the last day had taken on him. But having not only found Lucy, but having to watch her in immense pain, full of panic and fear all by himself, not knowing how to help her, left him wearier and more spent than he had been the whole time she was missing. Edmund had been utterly terrified. Terrified that he wasn't going to be able to help her, to calm her fear, to keep Illnath away. Even a small part of him feared that Peter and Susan would get there and blame him for not doing a better job. And the moment he'd finally find out had come_. _

_His siblings stood up and Edmund took in a deep breath, releasing it audibly, and stared as Peter and Susan made their way toward him. Peter looked hulking to him now. Edmund was seventeen, nearly as tall as his brother, but there were times when Peter appeared to him as he had when they were younger, when Edmund was still small enough for Peter to pick up. _

_Edmund let out a shaky breath as Peter stopped before him and looked very pointedly in his direction._

"_How are you, Ed?" _

"_What?"_

"_How are you? You look...well I know this has been trying to say the least. And I know you've taken a large brunt of this too. I hear you had quite the undertaking with finding and helping Lucy last night."_

_Peter was right. Edmund didn't even want to know how he looked. The past 24 four hours had been driving and extreme and absolutely exhausting. His nerves were shot and he was straining to keep himself from shaking from stress and a lack of sleep. He thought that even if he appeared as normal as he usually does, Peter would know something was wrong. He glanced at Susan. A knowing look was mixed with concern and worry. She knew just as easily as Peter did. Edmund shouldn't be surprised. They always did._

"_I'm fine." Edmund said quietly, halfway hoping they'd take that and leave it be. But the other half wished they'd force him to admit the truth, and it seemed that's what they were planning._

"_Edmund, we know you've been through a lot with Lucy, we're here to help now. Are you sure you're okay?" Susan asked, moving next to Peter. Their matching blue eyes were as piercing as ever. And Edmund was crumbling under it all._

"_I'm-I'm tired. Really tired. And I-I just want to know she's okay." Edmund took to running his hands through his hair, making it wilder than it already was._

_Peter and Susan glanced at each other;_ _an unspoken conversation Edmund wished he understood. _

"_She will be. We'll make sure of it. Together." Peter stated quietly but firmly, with all the confidence of a King – or a know it all older brother. Edmund only glanced up at him with a weak, halfhearted smile. _

"_Hey," Peter reached out and put a hand on the back of Edmunds neck, making him look him in the eye. Edmund's brows were pulled tight and he was worried he wouldn't be able to hold himself together. But Peter looked sincere and adamite_ _and kind. "You did good, little brother. You did really good." _

_Edmund's shoulders dropped in relief and weariness. He needed to hear him say that. At the sight, Peter's heart ached even more. He pulled his brother in and wrapped him in a strong, unrelenting embrace. Edmund fell into his older brother as he had as a child after his and Peter's relationship was restored. Susan came up and push his stray bangs out of his eyes, placing a kiss on his head. _

_Edmund let all the weight he'd been caring be taken off his shoulders for the moment. That's what his older brother and sister were always so good at. They cared so much that they were willing to carry the burden if it meant Edmund and Lucy didn't have too, and they were trying to do so now. Edmund decided to let them, even if it was just for a moment. _

Now looking at them a day later, smiling and making sure Lucy was at peace and happy, he felt strengthened. He smiled and thanked Aslan for helping his family get this far. Edmund was ready to pick back up his piece of the burden and relieve his brother and sister of as much of the weight as they were willing to let him.

He carried a tray laden down with food over to them and the four enjoyed a family meal they had been waiting so very long for. Sure, it was one where Lucy still held physical and emotional bruises and scars, and where Peter, Susan, and him were still fearful and shaken, but it was also a moment where they were together and safe. This was real. And no one was taking that away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! So, yes, I know it's been a while and I am dreadfully sorry! When I started posting to this story I was working on another one as well, and it just proved to be too much at one time. But that story it over now and I promise to update this story on a weekly basis! Thanks so much to every one who has given me so much love for this story! It truly means the world to me! There have been some people who have left reviews that do not have an account, so I am unable to respond to them. To all those people, please know that your comments have not gone unread and I'm extremely grateful for how kind you've been. Thank you so much!**

**I know where I want to take this story but I am unsure of how long it will pan out to be. Right now I am thinking only one or two more chapters (Don't fret, I promise it revs up and ends tied together nicely in a bow) but it could end up being more. I have a tendency to write long chapters and sometimes those have to be split up. Anyway, thanks to everyone still reading! I hope you enjoy. Here is Susan's chapter.**

_Peter and Susan wasted no time riding towards their younger siblings. Their adrenaline was not letting up, as well as their heart beats. They knew they wouldn't until they saw her for themselves._

_Oreius rode hard, not a falter in his stride despite his long journey. He faithfully led his King and Queen, who he also considered his friends, to the place where he knew their hearts were. As they neared, he related to them that Lucy's presence was being concealed inside the camp. There were no horns or celebrations. Everyone's guard was up in case Illnath was close. They didn't want word getting to him of her location. It was mere speculation by most Narnia's at the camp that Queen Lucy had truly been found._

_Peter and Susan pulled their hoods over their heads as they rode in to avoid, as much as possible, stirring any commotion in camp. They got off their horses at the camps edge. There were few people inside. Oreius thought they may be continuing to send out search parties to keep up the ruse._

_Nearing the middle of camp, nothing looked out of place. Peter noticed a few Narnians sitting around a fire eating, more talking quietly amongst themselves. It looked normal, but by the suspicious eyes they held until they recognized Peter and Susan underneath their hoods, Peter believed them to be guards._

_Just up ahead Mr. Beaver came out of a red tent. When he saw Peter and Susan a smile came to his face and he hurried up to them._

_"Your Majesties." He bowed._

_"Mr. Beaver where is she?" Susan questioned quietly._

_"She is in the tent behind me. Edmund hasn't taken an eye off her since he found her."_

_Peter and Susan smiled wide and were quick stepping towards the tent when Mr. Beaver cut them off._

_"Peter, Susan, I must warn you before you go in there."_

_"Warn us? Warn us about what? It's our sister." Susan sounded anxious._

_"Lucy... she doesn't look like the bright eyed lass you're used to. She has been through more than we know. And hurt worse than you've ever seen her. It breaks my heart; you know I love you all. We gave her the healing liquid from the cordial, and while it leaves her stable, she still bears the physical injuries."_

_"Thank you, Mr. Beaver,'" Peter cut in, trying to take another step forward, not wanting to wait another second, "but we are prepared for a healing process –"_

_Beaver stopped him short once more. "I'm not sure you understand. It is not just her outward wounds I'm talking about. Lucy – she is sleeping now, a rest I imagine is long overdue, but it is when she wakes that I fear she may not be who she was. Most aren't after going through what she has."_

_"We still don't know what she has gone through." Peter insisted, and finally made a path for him and Susan to enter the tent. They both took in a deep breath as they stepped inside._

_Edmund was in a chair facing them, holding a wet rag to their little sister's forehead as she lay across a cot. He looked to them immediately and watched the mixed emotions war on their faces. The joy of finally finding her was met with a punch to the gut._

_Lucy's two eldest siblings looked at her with tear brimmed eyes as they saw the damage Illnath had inflicted. Her face was swollen around her right eye and running down the other side of her face, put there by obvious blows. Her lips were pale, chapped and splitting. Her arms had marks across them, running long and red, in complete contrast to her ghostly white skin._

_The sight made the Gentle Queen feel furious and deadly lethal, yet drained of all her strength. Peter the Magnificent felt lowly and broken. Their devastation was tangible and it hit Edmund with a new wave of sadness. The two eldest stood over Lucy. One of Susan's freefalling tears fell onto Lucy's face. Susan gently wiped it away with her thumb. Peter knelt down and took Lucy's hand in his, noticing for the first time the shackle around her wrist._

_The anger Susan felt resonated through Peter as he looked at the cuff. It was the source of his inability to keep Lucy safe and with their family. It was also a reminder of Illnath and the power he still had over them. Peter wanted to scream._

_At that moment, Mrs. Beaver walked in carrying a bundle of blankets she had heated near a fire. She stopped immediately at seeing the other siblings, the King and Queen of Narnia, in such pain. Edmund quietly got up and took the blankets. He thanked her with a small, sad smile. Mrs. Beaver quickly left the tent, embarrassed by her intrusion, while Edmund unfolded the blankets and laid them over his little sister, hiding most of the torment and hoping to alleviate at least a little bit of the pain from all of his siblings._

_**…**__**...**_

Susan had forced down every bit of her anger once Lucy had woken that first day. Her little sister was much too upset and confused for Susan to be angry in that moment. But ever since then, Susan had been continuing to push her anger towards Illnath down, further and further. Lucy was too shaken for Susan to allow her to see her big sister that way – Lucy would only blame herself. And if Edmund saw how upset Susan was, he'd try harder to not shrink away like he instinctively wanted to, and then push himself to do more, to take on more of the load and allow Susan to take out her frustrations on him. And Peter, well Peter, for as strong as he was, would feel the weight of his guilt press down harder and risk collapsing under it like he did when Lucy first disappeared. So, Susan reigned it in and made herself strong against it.

Susan took note that after a few days Lucy was still struggling. Mornings were difficult, as Lucy was unsure, as she was the first day, that her being safe and with her family hadn't all been made up by Illnath. Edmund forced Lucy's hand to the nick behind his ear to make her understand. Her fear and anger would subside then, but the tears would come. Tears of relief that she was with her family, and tears of embarrassment and self-hatred that she still wasn't sure of where she was after spending days with her siblings.

Nights were a toss-up. Most of the time she would sleep soundly, for the first time in over a month allowed to sleep in warmth and safety and peace. But she had nightmares. The kind that sent a shiver down Peter, Susan, and Edmund, as Lucy would thrash and scream.

During the day, there was paranoia and dread. Lucy half expected the campsite and all the Narnian's to disappear, and find herself back in Illnath's keep. The cuff had started burning like it had the night Edmund found her only twice in the past days, but each time left her shaking. Her eyes stayed peeled and she forced herself to stay awake as best as she could from then on. She would only relax a little bit as, each day, the spell Ridgecrest had said to keep the cuff's power from working was spoken again over her.

Susan watched it all take its toll on her sister and her brothers. Lucy fidgeted all the time, unable to sit still, constantly feeling unsettled. Peter was trying to take the brunt of it all, telling each of his siblings that everything was okay, that he wasn't going to let anything happen to them. All the while he was unsure if he was going to be able to keep those promises, the fear of letting them down ever present. And Edmund was constantly on the lookout. For Illnath to appear, or for Lucy to break down, or for Peter and Susan to suddenly and without announcement fall apart.

And Susan remained angry. But as the days went on, she found herself feeling weary more than anything else. By now it had been a week since finding her sister. Lucy was doing a little better. She still had her moments of looking quite frantic, but she hadn't woken up from a nightmare for three days. And the past two mornings she reached for the nick behind Edmund's ear herself, even took to reciting little rhymes with Susan whenever she needed reassurance. Susan had brought them up a few nights back. They were actually snippets of stories their mother used to tell them before bed. Lucy had forgotten them completely, but Susan had kept them in the back of her mind, without intention, and found herself repeating them wistfully as she sat with Lucy, waiting for her to fall asleep at night. Now Lucy and Susan said them like a mantra. One of them would always start with one line, the other stating the next, and they'd go on back and forth. Lucy's favorite was this one:

'Sixty yards as the crow flies

There I'll find where all our dreams hide,

And in the end, when they're gone,

It'll only be because I lived them all'

Susan could visibly see it put her sister at ease, though at first, she wasn't sure why it did. Lucy explained that it was something she had no recollection of until Susan reminded her. And because Lucy couldn't remember them before, she knew Illnath had no knowledge of them either. It was something new that she could use to remind herself that she was where she hoped she was, because she knew it wouldn't show up in a vision brought on by one of Illnath's spells.

That was a relief for not only the youngest Pevensie, but for all four of them. Since then, they tried coming up with other little things to use to help Lucy know she wasn't held within some illusion or spell or dream that Illnath was forcing her into. Nothing seemed as good as Edmund's scar or the little rhymes, but there were other things that helped. One of them being the old Narnian song about a great victory that was one of her favorites. Edmund now sang it quietly under his breath as he and Lucy sat on a grassy slope, while Susan was at the bottom of it filling cups of water for them all.

Susan sighed. It was a sigh of relief, mixed with the still lingering anxiousness. The cuff wasn't off of Lucy, but she was here. And Illnath wasn't. So, that alone deserved a sigh of relief. So did the fact that Susan was already seeing a weight start to lift off her whole family, even if it was ever so slightly. To say that this time in camp with Lucy back has been taxing would be an understatement. Neither Peter or Edmund liked to say it out loud, but if they couldn't get this cuff off their sister soon, it could mean losing Lucy all over again.

She hadn't spoken much on it in the days since she'd been rescued, but Susan and her brothers had heard enough from Lucy to understand that Illnath put their little sister through physical, mental, and emotional anguish and manipulation. And it wasn't surprising. Illnath made it clear enough when he appeared in their throne room that he was cruel and vicious. Susan and Edmund had talked it over, and they both agreed that the spell Illnath casted on them had been slowly loosening while he was harassing Peter and Lucy. Ed even swore up and down that the sorcerer looked him dead on with fear in his eyes once he saw Edmund wiggling loose. And directly after that he took Lucy back and swiftly left. Lucy said something to back that up when Edmund found her. It all added up to make Susan think one thing – that Illnath had power, and a great deal of it too, but he didn't have the strength or skill to keep it up for long. That's why he had to put the cuff on Lucy, to drain her of energy and use it against her. And probably why he couldn't fight the spell Ridgecrest casted. This meant he had a weakness. And should they need to, they could hopefully use that against him.

Susan shivered at the thought of having to fight Illnath, and took instead to looking at her family and being thankful that they were safe. Lucy was doing better, though it was obvious it was going to take a while for her to feel safe or get back to the way she was before being taken. It was going to take a while for all of them to get back to that point. Susan watched her sister now, and though she breathed deeply in the fresh air and was more than happy to be out in the sunlight, her shoulders were still tense and her eyes darted back and forth. Lucy's guard was up and it broke Susan's heart because they were having such a hard time getting her to relax. It didn't help that Peter was gone at the moment. Lucy did much better when all three of her siblings were within view. But Peter wasn't far, just a few tents down – as all of them refused to go any farther, but he was out of sight, discussing with Oreius and other ranking officers the protections of the camp and whether or not they've gained any new knowledge of Illnath's whereabouts. Lucy wanted to attempt to lead the army back to where she came from, but as she had been hurt and in the dark when escaping, and to her own confession unsure of the direction she had travelled in or even for how long she had been out there, Peter had utterly refused. Susan was sure there was more reasons than that – like his constant fear of magic whisking Lucy away like before, or the threat of it happening to Edmund or Susan, too – that kept him from allowing this.

Edmund and Susan had wanted to join Peter in discussing their safety with the others, but couldn't seem to let Lucy out of their sight. Edmund had been glued to her hip since finding her. But then again, they all had. It nearly killed Peter to leave her now, but for her own protection, he knew he had too.

Susan watched as Lucy hummed along occasionally with Edmund's tune but fidgeted constantly. She pulled at the grass and twisted pieces of it in her fingers to keep it from seeming so. But Susan, like always, knew better. She had been so concerned over her sister since finding her and seeing her not even know she was truly with her own family. Susan still bore the scabs from the fingernail marks on her wrist as a reminder of Lucy's distrust. Susan hated looking at them. Not because she was upset with Lucy for it happening, but that it had to have happened at all. Between that and the nightmares Lucy woke up screaming from, her fear of being hit or berated by her siblings, and the pain the cuff caused her, Susan was ready to send an arrow straight through Illnath.

Susan didn't understand it at all. Lucy barely spoke of what had happened to her while she was gone, but there was an obvious change. She was scared, nervous, most of the time. And a lot of it was directed at her siblings. Lucy would rush out her words, a look of pleading on her face, and shrink away from them as she spoke. She constantly seemed to be afraid of her sibling's reactions – like any or all three of them would be upset with her for some reason or leave her alone. As if that would happen. All the while Lucy would reach out timidly, clearly wanting them near her, sometimes even ask a question, something as simple as for a glass of water. But she was clearly unsure if that sort of behavior was alright.

But the worse of it may have come when Susan helped Lucy into a bath for the first time. It was then that Susan saw the array of violence that had been perpetrated against her sister. Bruises ran all along her back and arms. Cuts and red marks marred her. Lucy couldn't even sink into the warm water without wincing and whimpering, a tear escaping one eye as she slowly eased herself in. Mr. Beaver was right, the cordial was healing her, but not nearly as quickly as it was supposed to. Like its own magic was warring against that of the cuff. Susan had held back her own tears and smiled at Lucy warmly, speaking gently, never once bringing up her markings. It wasn't until Lucy asked to be left alone for a few minutes – much to Susan's surprise – so she could have a minute to herself, that Susan released her tears. She was quiet, as Lucy was only behind a thin sheet of tent, but Susan choked herself up and buried her face in Peter's chest over it all. She didn't want him to see her so bothered but she couldn't help it anymore. Peter didn't know why she was crying at first, but he held her close and quietly shushed her, promising it would be okay. Edmund gave her kind words, trying to understand what had happened to make her so upset. Once they did, both brothers got quiet and solemn. Peter involuntarily held Susan tighter and put a hand on Edmund's shoulder, pulling him slightly closer to him.

Little did she know, Lucy was sheading her own tears and had asked to be alone only so her sister didn't see how upset she was over having Susan see the full extent of her torment.

Even now as they sat in the sunlight on the little grassy mound, Lucy pulled at her sleeves to keep her arms covered so no bruises would be visible to anyone. Susan wished she knew how to help her. But as she watched, it seemed that simply listening to Edmund's quiet tone singing the song, the birds chirping and the wind blowing, Lucy was starting to allow herself to relax a bit. Her face softened and for a moment her eyes fluttered closed.

It was the sound of a tent flap whipping as someone pulled it open that caught their attention. Peter stepped out looking rather glim, but as he set his sights on his siblings, seeing they were all looking in his direction, he turned his expression light. Lucy looked at him oddly in a way they were all starting to become use to. She looked at all three of them with the stare, though Peter received it the most. Her eyes would go big, her mouth slightly parted, and she seemed to be uncertain, though wistfully wanting nothing more than his attention. She was hopeful, though somehow unsure, as if she were a child that had done wrong and was afraid to tell their parent, while also wanting their comfort over it.

Lucy had very briefly mentioned that Illnath would use his magic to make himself look like any one of her siblings. And he would be awful to Lucy during that time, going so far as to make the big brother that had always protected Lucy hit and abuse her. Lucy cried and swore she knew it wasn't really them when he did any of that, begged her family to believe her – but she more than once had flinched whenever Peter came close. Susan could tell Lucy wanted him to make her feel safe as he always did, but a small part of Lucy felt like she was going to do something wrong and find her big brother angry with her, either proving Illnath had her again or that Peter really did hurt her. But Peter never once did anything of the sort.

Now was no different. He slowly approached with a lopsided grin on his face and kissed Lucy's forehead and then Susan's. He opted for ruffling Edmund's hair, making every one of them feel much younger for a moment. But none particularly minded it.

Susan was thankful Peter was back to his normal self. Caring and kind and protective. But she could see the guilt he was still carrying and the utter stress of needing the cuff off. But she also saw how it hurt him to see when Lucy occasionally flinched or stepped back when he got close or reached out to her. It stuck with him. Susan prayed he saw just how much Lucy clung to him in spite of her odd looks and fear. Just how much they all did. He needed to. It would help him. Because Susan knew that when Lucy looked fearful of him hitting her, it only made Peter think of Susan and how he acted while Lucy was gone. Susan found herself thinking back on it now...

_The three of them sat around a small, yet beautifully crafted, wooden table. It only sat four and the last of the chairs was empty. It was one of the few times the Peter, Susan, and Edmund had gotten to sit down and eat a meal together without anyone else since Lucy's disappearance. This was a common occurrence before, a special time set aside where the four of them could just be a family and children and not rulers. But it felt wrong now. It was too quiet without Lucy's laughter and with how little the three talked to each other. Susan tried hard to keep a conversation going and to make it light. But there didn't seem to be much to talk about and it didn't help that Peter was seething._

_He had kept it in. Greeted both of them when they sat down but it was cold and stiff. None of his usual lightness was there. He didn't kiss Susan on the forehead or cheek and he didn't nudge Edmund with a playful shove. He didn't even smile at them._

_But still the meal went on, though it quickly unraveled. The more Susan and Edmund tried to hold a conversation the shorter Peter was with them. He pushed his food around ungratefully and took to only drinking his wine. He snapped at the servants and made several comments that were rude and biting towards his siblings. Every time, Edmund and Susan only bit their tongues and stared at their plates. As the servants brought out more food, Peter looked at it distastefully. Finally, once his agitation was reaching its peak, he peeked open the cover of a silver meat caddy, but it slid off, causing a loud clatter that echoed through the unusually quiet room. Susan jumped at the sound as Edmund's head whipped to Peter._

_The noise must have been the High King's breaking point, because instead of taking notice off the volume he only questioned hotly, "What is this?"_

_"It's a glazed ham, my lord." Said the very shocked and nervous faun who had brought it out._

_"And what about this, or this?" Peter stood and swatted at other dishes, forcing their lids and plates to turn over, causing resounding noise as it all scattered and clatter across the table. Peter looked like he almost enjoyed the mess he was making._

_"Peter." Said Edmund with a firm voice, though wide eyed and shocked._

_"What?" Peter honed in on Edmund, locking eyes, the elder's glinting sharply. Edmund silenced immediately at Peter's tone and look. It was a kind Edmund had seen before, but it had never once been leveled at him. It was never directed at anyone Peter loved. And it made Edmund shiver involuntarily at its coldness._

_Peter looked between the servants and his siblings. "Are we really going to do this – act like nothing is different? Do you not have a problem with all this?" He gestured at the nice meal. "Does this not feel wrong to you? Or are you two okay with this? She's missing, for Aslan's sake!" He slammed his hand down hard._

_"It's not easy for us either, Peter." Susan spoke up carefully, trying to return the situation to a calm. "But wouldn't it be a good thing for the three of us to at least trying to spend some time together like before? To find comfort with one another – to keep ourselves sane? Lucy would want us to stick together-"_

_"Lucy's not here! And with you two wanting to indulge yourselves in frivolous things like this she will never be found! We have to do something!" With another swing of his arm, Peter knocked over the wine pitcher, causing it to collapse into Susan's glass and plate. The wine splashed all over her light blue dress and poured onto the floor, while her dinner plate, food, and silverware flung everywhere, scattering shards of glass and porcelain and meat._

_Susan stood quickly, trying to avoid the onslaught, but it was no use. She was covered in food and drink and everything coalesced all around her feet._

_Edmund jumped up at the sudden escalation, while several servants ran forward to help Susan as she dabbed at the wine on her dress and knelt to pick up the pieces of the mess off the floor._

_"No, no I'm fine, thank you. I've got it, really. I'm sorry for the mess, you needn't worry yourself with it." She, trying very hard to keep her voice calm and unbreaking, said to the servants as she shooed them away._

_"Really, your Majesty, we don't mind..." One tried._

_"No, thank you. You may be dismissed for the evening." She didn't want them to see Peter this way. And they shouldn't have to deal with him like this. The servants looked warry but she insisted again with a pleading look, so they quietly rushed from the room, secretly thankful to be able to leave._

_And again, Susan was on her hands and knees picking up the pieces._

_Edmund scurried over, bending down to try to pull his sister up from the floor. "Susan, it's fine. The fauns can get it all up. Please -"_

_"No, Edmund it's okay, I've got it!" She said agitated, though not with him. Her voice was full and cracked, allowing her brothers to know without being able to see her face, that she was on the verge of tears. Shakily, she continued to places broken shards and bits of food on the table, her face remaining down. Peter sighed, suddenly aware of his outburst, yet still angry and unwilling to apologize for it, thinking he was in the right. But seeing the beautiful table now a wreck and his sister down on her hands and knees cleaning up the mess he made, he suddenly felt guilty. Yet somehow it also irritated him more. At it being his fault and at seeing her being so willing to lower herself in order to make it right for him._

_"Susan, get off the floor." Peter said with huff, pulling Edmund out of the way._

_"It's fine, I've got it-"_

_Peter grabbed her arm and pulled her up, not too hard, but she did stumble at the suddenness._

_"No, Susan, I can clean up my own messes." Peter sounded irked but he knelt on one knee and started picking up glass._

_Susan tried to bend down again, thinking that allowing Peter to do it in the fit he was in would only result in him cutting himself and becoming angrier, and knowing that keeping herself busy in the moment would keep the tears from falling._

_"Peter, I can do it, I-"_

_"No, Su-" He tried to nudged her hand off of him and away from the mess._

_"Peter, please, no one is asking you to-"_

_"-san, stop, I can get it!"_

_"I'm just trying to help-" Susan reached again to pick up pieces._

_"I said-"_

_"Peter-"_

_"-I can get it!" Peter yelled, turning as he did to stand and face her, arm whirling around to shove her off of him again. Yet this time, there was a loud sound that made Edmund yell "Peter!" and left his own hand burning before quieting them all down._

_Susan stumbled back from momentum and her hand went to her face out of reaction. When she pulled it away, her cheek was marred red from where Peter had hit her._

_The tears that had brimmed her eyes now made them red and watery as she stood back and stared in disbelief. It had been a hard hit, much harder than Peter had realized at first, though he had not meant to hit her at all, but rather just push her off of him._

_A single tear streamed out of both of her eyes, now much bluer than they had been five minutes earlier._

_"Su-" Peter started, taking a step forward. But he pulled up short, shocked and hurt, when he watched her take a step away from him. Peter's anger ebbed for a moment as guilt flooded him. She almost looked afraid of him. _'Why do I keep messing up!'

_Never had any of his siblings looked at him like Susan was now. She couldn't believe he had hit her – never would she have believed it. But he had. She knew it was an accident, but he had been acting awfully recently. And she didn't rightly care at the moment if it was purposeful or calculated or unplanned. All she could think of was that it had happened at all. By Peter. Peter would have murdered anyone else had they done that to her. But now he just stared back at her._

_"I-I didn't mean-"_

_"To what, Peter? Ruin our meal? Break half of what was on the table? Stain my dress and the carpet? Hit me?"_

_Peter closed his eyes for a moment because he didn't want to see it all. Susan was right. The table was a disaster, food and wine and pieces of tableware lay everywhere on it and the floor. And Susan stood in the middle of it all, dress covered in red wine that now looked like spilled blood, tears streaming, and half of her face red and heated._

_"All I wanted was a meal with my brothers because I am breaking, Peter. I can't do this anymore! I'm trying so hard to appease you, to help you – and all you do is destroy every attempt." She cried and Peter felt his anger returning in the need to defend himself. 'I'm not all that bad, she has a lot of the fault. She shouldn't keep pushing me all the time!'_

_"I don't understand, Peter! How am I supposed to help you? What am I doing wrong?" She questioned._

_And because Peter was already so very hurt, and then had hurt Susan and listened to her pain be vocalized, he said something he didn't mean._

_"You're not Lucy, that's what!"_

_Susan stilled._

_"Alright Peter, it's time to end this before you say anything else you don't mean." Edmund interjected forcefully._

_"Shut up Ed. Lucy is the one hurt and alone and all I keep hearing from you two is how much I keep doing everything wrong! Well I'm tired of it. If you want to fix this Susan, find Lucy. Because you aren't her."_

_Susan's mouth hung agape as whatever else she was going to say died right there on her lips. Edmund watched as his sister's heart broke the rest of the way, and as Peter saw what he had done too, but was just too stubborn to admit it._

_When Susan spoke, it was a cracked and raw sound. "I know. And I am terribly sorry that I'm not her. I would give anything if I could switch places with her right now, so she'd be home, so that she'd be safe. So that _you_ and everyone else could have her back." Susan paused, keeping herself together enough just to ask her one burning question. "Would you do the same if it was me stuck with Illnath and not her, Peter? Would you go to such great lengths to bring me home? Would you be so torn up about me being missing?" Tears spilt out of her eyes again as Peter's shoulders sagged and he deflated, running a hand over his face. He looked miserable, like he knew he'd done something terribly, terribly wrong. Though he still refused to give in to his fault. His response was evidence enough of that._

_"What kind of question is that, Su. You know the answer." Peter fidgeted and Edmund could tell his brother was aware he went too far, that he felt bad. Unfortunately, Peter was also too stubborn to say the answer Susan needed to hear, no matter how much Peter knew what that answer was, and how true it was – that he would move heaven and earth to find Susan just as he would if it were Edmund or Lucy that was lost. But his silence, in spite of the known answer, hurt their sister all the more. All she wanted was to hear him say it. To be reassured. But it didn't happen._

_"I did use to know. But I'm not so sure anymore." And with that she turned to leave, coughing on choked sobs._

_"Oh, come on, Susan. You're- you're being ridiculous. You know the answer to your question, you know I didn't mean to hit you! Susan, I–" Peter nearly yelled as Susan turned out of the doorway, and then, seeing her gone and his words useless as he spoke up too late, collapsed into the nearest chair, face buried in his hands._

Susan's heart no longer hurt at the memory of that night because of the conversation that happened a week later. Peter had sought her out and knelt beside her chair so he could look her straight on. His apology felt more honest than any he'd given her about his outbursts before and he explained to her why he was acting the way he was, though he knew no reason justified any of it. He confided in her like he used to. About everything, from having dismissed Lucy that day, to having her slip through his fingers in the throne room, to how he was beyond grateful that Edmund and Susan were with him, but how he abused that blessing by yelling at and berating them to make himself feel better. "But it only made me feel worse, Susan. But I couldn't stop. I don't know how to find Lucy or how to make you and Edmund feel better and it's driving me mad. I just keep messing up and letting everyone I love down and I don't know why! I'm_ so_ sorry." Everything he said hit Susan in the gut, providing truth and reason to his actions and proving her suspicions she held all along about them.

Peter had gone on and swore up and down that he would search every inch of Narnia all the way to the edge of the world to find her if she'd been the one taken. "I should have told you that that night. But I was too angry. You gotta know though that I would do anything to keep you safe, and not because you're Lucy or Edmund or anyone else other than Susan. I didn't mean to sound like I value you any less, because I don't." Susan believed him. She never had really doubted him to begin with. She just wanted to hear it that night she questioned him. Peter was her big brother. He'd been watching over her for longer than she could remember, and there were too many times to count where she could remember him putting himself in danger, or at the very least, at an inconvenience, at the chance of helping her or keeping her safe. He was so instinctively her protector and that wasn't ever going to change because Peter took his job as the eldest and his promise to their mother too seriously to stop. Which is why it hurt him so badly now, watching Lucy look afraid of him.

Susan reassured Peter that it wasn't him Lucy was afraid of, reminded him that Illnath made her think Peter was hurting her, but that Lucy knew it wasn't real. It was just going to take some time for their little sister to forget those awful things Illnath made her see and feel.

"You're the first person Lucy or any of us run to if we are ever hurt, Peter. You know that." Susan said.

He only gave her a weak smile and a look that said, 'I hope so.'

As the day went on, Peter looked for little chances to tell Susan and Edmund that their scouts still had no news of Illnath or where he might have been hiding Lucy, a fact he very carefully kept hidden from Lucy herself. Susan only sighed, trying to stay positive for Peter and Edmund's sakes. But she prayed to Aslan for help. Begged and pleaded for this to be over and for her family to be able to go home, safe and sound, and move on from all this. And, as the day worn on, if she strained her hearing, she almost thought she heard a lion's roar in the distance. But with the clash of metal on metal as soldiers practiced sparing, she couldn't be sure.

Hours later, a shadow fell across the ground as the sun was beginning to be clouded over and the wind blew cool. The world took on a blue hue as a storm rolled in right before supper. The rain held off, but the wind whipped, causing tent flaps to snap loudly and a chill to force its way down one's spine. The air felt just a little bit off with static from the coming lightning and everyone in camp seemed to crowd just a little bit closer together. Susan found her family no different, as they all looked at her with relief once she joined them around the campfire. The four of them huddled close and spoke quietly. While nothing other than their company felt quite right, they managed to smile and get in a few jokes.

Susan felt her guard coming down, if only for the moment. She watched as not only Lucy, but Peter and Edmund too, laughed and looked content, though tired. Her shoulders relaxed and she realized she felt the same.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! So, remember when I said I have a tendency to write long chapters? Yeah, me too. And here is the evidence of that, haha! Personally, I like long chapters in stories I read because it means we get more. I hope you all feel the same way! Anyways, here is Lucy's next chapter! I really enjoyed writing this one and I hope you all enjoy reading it, too. Thanks for all the kind reviews and for sticking with this story! You are all great! **

**In response to Bob's review: Thank you! I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying this so much! It means more to me than you know. I really hope you like this chapter just as much as the other one's and don't mind my nature to write long chapters! :D**

_Lucy sighed and rubbed her arms for the umpteenth time. They were so sore from bruises that they shook while trying to lift the full, crystal glass pitcher of wine. The dark red liquid sloshed around the rim as she walked it to the table from the kitchen. She felt it run down the side onto her fingers and then a few steps later she heard a larger amount splash onto the cold stone floor. The feeling on her fingers irritated her but the sound of it hitting the floor made her angry. She could do as simple a task as this without spilling it. She would make sure of it. She didn't care how badly her arms ached to release the weight, she would take her time and not spill it because it was an easy thing to do and she was not about to let Illnath rob her of being capable of such an effortless task._

_He had already robbed her of so much – her family, home, safety, freedom – she refused to allow him the satisfaction of watching her break completely. If she had no choice other than to stay, she'd at least do so boldly and without fear._

_She had repeated that statement to herself every day. And at times, like when her anger was full and fiery, she felt it without constraint or doubt. Every ounce of rebelliousness in her waged a war against Illnath. She might not win, but she was going to fight. And fight she did...But it was the times when she felt drained of even enough energy to just hold her head up that she found herself completely disbelieving in her ability to not even shake or tremble in fear. And how could she, when she was having to force herself to differentiate what was real and what wasn't? When everything she knew to be true was turned on its head and telling her otherwise?_

_Illnath was not shy when it came to using physical abuse, but mind games were his favorite. He didn't need fist for that, just magic. And Lucy had just trudged through another day of it. It seemed Illnath had no shortage of ideas when it came to thinking of ways for Lucy to watch someone she cares about be kept alive just enough to where they wouldn't meet death, but would cry out screaming for it to come. Begging for it. Nor was he lacking when it came to ways for her to feel utterly betrayed by a loved one. She shivered like she could still feel the ice of Jadis' dungeon under her, as Mr. Tumnus smiled a dark grin and left as Lucy called after him, the only other sound being his hooves on solid ice and the chattering of her teeth._

_The shiver the memory brought on almost made her spill the wine again but she caught it just in time and reminded herself once again that the vision wasn't real, that it didn't happen – all while the wine swirled around the edges of the brim. Lucy silently filled Illnath's goblet as he scribbled in his red, leather-bound book. Then she set the pitcher down and immediately felt relief running up her arms._

_She turned back to go wipe up the spilled drink off the floor when she heard the _snap! _of the book behind her slapping shut._

_"Sit. You can get it later." Illnath said with a tone that sounded like he thought he was being so very gentlemanly, but the scar on his cheek that Edmund left him with didn't help the look on his face. "Our food is getting cold." As if Lucy thinking of the wound her family left him with made him take notice of another one, Illnath took to massaging his shoulder where Susan's arrow had found lodging before._

_Lucy was tired now as Illnath had drained her of much of her energy to fuel his magic while showing her ceaseless visions earlier. But he left her enough strength so that she would be able to prepare a nice dinner. Now she wanted nothing more than to curl up and go into a dreamless sleep, but she knew it wouldn't be allowed, and she didn't have it in her to fight him on it now. So, she yanked back her shoulders and lifted her chin to show she still had her dignity, and sat down._

_"Did you have any nice dreams today?" He asked with a smirk as he cut into his meat._

_"You already know very well what I saw." Lucy stated._

_"Indulge me. I like to be reminded. What was nice?"_

_Lucy huffed and pondered whether or not she would respond. But a quick zap from the cuff sent a small jolt of lightning up her arm and she knew it'd only get worse if she didn't answer._

_"I saw Susan."_

_"Yes, and what was she doing?" He inquired._

_"She was unbraiding my hair. In front of a vanity in my room back home." Lucy's eyes looked far off. She knew that vision earlier was actually a memory. Or one very similar to a memory she had with her sister. Lucy couldn't tell which it was anymore. She learned long ago that when Illnath asked about what she saw, he liked details, and would continue to press for more. And tonight, she didn't mind giving them to him. They were good details, so she went on. "She was telling me I looked like mother. It was nice, I don't remember what she looks like that much. I always just find myself picturing Susan when I think of her. Well, an older Susan, but it's her nonetheless." Colors started running all around Lucy, though she didn't really notice. She had gotten use to the sensation and right now she was focusing on picturing her sister's face. Shapes shifted and shadows brightened. The walls changed from the dark, boastful dining room in Illnath's keep to fading golden light. And then Lucy was in her bedroom in Cair Paravel. Susan was there, looking as lovely as ever as her loose dark hair fell around her, framing her face. Illnath's voice was close, but yet distant when he spoke._

_"Good. Anything else?"_

_Lucy paused, thinking. She looked around and found her balcony doors open. "I can hear the ocean. Waves are crashing and the sun's getting low. Susan, she's started singing an old Narnian song..." Lucy listened for a moment and then started humming along. The tune was slow and lilting and beautiful. Its melody rising as Lucy felt Susan running her fingers through her hair like her mother use to. It was comforting. Susan kept on as she sang, Lucy still humming along. It felt entrancing. Like Lucy was falling down a rabbit hole that she didn't mind being in. All Lucy could hear was Susan's voice, soft and –_

_Illnath's hand slammed down on the table and the dishes clattered. Lucy's eyes shot open and she realized she had never left the room. It was all just magic. Very convincing magic that made her forget. The cuff around her wrist glowed slightly like a dull burnout._

_"That's enough. Thank you." Illnath said, once again scribbling something into his notebook._

_"Why can't I have a break?" Lucy spat out before she realized it, though she didn't care. She felt so violated whenever he took something good from her memories and played it on rewind at his whim. And his incessant scratching away at that journal was infuriating, reminding her that she was just an experiment to him._

_"A break? Lucy, dear I don't think you deserve one. Not with that tone you're using." He stated plainly like he was her father and took to taking another bite of his food._

_"Don't deserve one?" Heat rushed to her face. "You've barely let me sleep the past three nights in a row! I've been forced to see endless amounts of war and the torture of my own people, been shocked so much by this bloody cuff my skin is burned, been cut and hit and left to bleed and ache for hours just for you to snap your fingers and me be healed - then for you to do it all over again!" Lucy found herself rising from her chair as her anger and heartache forced away her exhaustion, yet still shaking from the cold air and her anxiety._

_"Lucy, it will serve you well to be quiet." Illnath said in between another bite. He looked unfazed by her outburst and that made her angrier. She wanted his reaction, she didn't care if he yelled at her or hit her, it was nothing new. But he needed to feel at least aggravated by her if she had to be tormented by him._

_"I will not be quiet! You will hear me!" She shoved over the wine pitcher she had fought so hard to keep from spilling earlier. Illnath jostled at the noise and she felt a smile tug at her lips as she walked towards him and the end of the table. "I am tired of you abusing me, I am sick of you thinking you can do this-"_

_"Lucy, I am warning you, sit down. Now."_

_She ignored him. "I will not be treated this way!"_

_"Lucy," He said, his voice rising._

_"I am not some rag doll you can toss around, playing whatever games you like," the cuff started to burn but Lucy was too enveloped in her anger to notice. She swatted at silverware, causing them to go flying off the table._

_"I am only going to tell you once more," Illnath stated hotly._

_She started to knock over a heavy silver tray that held the meat, causing it to rumbling across the floor. "I will not be silenced by you anymo-"_

_"LUCY, STOP."_

_And in an instance, she did. Lucy had only blinked but in that amount of time the scene had changed. She gaped at what she was suddenly staring at, at whose blue eyes were staring back in a grimace. She knew better than to not listen then. That voice she knew all too well, using the tone he did now, always silenced her. Always made her pause and feel fear. She didn't always hear it, but when she did, she knew that her eldest brother wasn't joking. And looking at him now, it was clear he was not happy._

_In fact, Peter was seething. And seated in his high back chair at the head of their small, personal family dining room table in Cair Paravel. Lucy had only taken a split second to blink, but that's all the time it took for the spell to work. That's what it was. It had to be just a spell. Illnath was gone and Peter was here, but it couldn't be real, she'd seen this too often to believe it. She tried hard to remember where she'd just been._

'Dinner, it was dinner. With Illnath._' She thought._

_But now, Peter's blue eyes were what she saw and they were steely. She hated when he got this look. It was only a few times in her life when she'd seen him direct it at her, only when she had immensely crossed the line and gotten herself in loads of trouble. She felt like she was thirteen again, the age she was the last time she saw it._

_"Sit. Down." Peter said, fingers interlaced, jaw tight._

_Lucy started at him, frozen in place for a moment. Her shoulders were tense at his sudden appearance but she did her best to look formidable. "No."_

_"I wasn't asking. I said sit down, Lucy. Now."_

_"You're not real. You're not Peter."_

_"Lucy, I assure you, unlike your silly little make believe imaging's, I am very much real. And so is my temper right now, so it would be in your best interest to sit down and do as you're told."_

_Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them. Nothing changed. She knew this wasn't real though. It couldn't be. She wouldn't fall for it. She had made that mistake enough with Illnath. She glanced around instead of looking at her brother. Nothing looked out of place but nothing felt quite right either. But what was it? There had to be something to tell her this wasn't real, right? She shivered as she thought, teeth chattering. It was so cold._

'It's not. No matter how much it feels or looks like it, none of this is real. I was at diner with Illnath, not Peter. I made Illnath angry, not Peter.' Luc_y said to herself, shooting her eyes around for a sign of the illusion._

_But a fist landing hard against the table drew her attention back to him. To the man that looked just like her brother._

_The fingers of his right hand pinched the bridge of his nose while his left fist stayed clenched. "Lucy, do not make me tell you again."_

_And she didn't want him too, because she knew what would be her fate if she didn't listen. Peter wouldn't hurt her, but Illnath would. And that's exactly who she was talking to now. She knew it. So, she slowly pulled out the chair by him and slid in. There was a tense moment of silence and Lucy watched the muscle in her brother's jaw quiver. He blew out a hard breath and held her under a dark gaze. Lucy didn't say a word, just looked down. Peter or not, she hated the way he looked at her._

_"What have I done wrong, Lucy? What did I do to make you lash out at me so?" Peter asked. When she didn't respond he asked again much harder. "Lucy?" Still her eyes remained locked on the table, mouth screwed shut._

_Peter reached out and yanked her chin up so she'd have to look him in the eye, holding her head in place. When he spoke, he sounded angry and honest. "All I've ever done is protect you. I fed you, clothed you. I made sure you had everything you ever needed – everything you ever wanted. You lacked for nothing! I soothed every nightmare, dried every tear! I gave up so much for you! I never got to act as any other young man. No. Because I had Susan and Edmund and especially _you _to look after. And this is how you repay me? With disrespect and disobedience?"_

_Lucy stared at him, trying to not look how she felt. The silence hung between them. Suddenly he released her chin and swiftly stood, kicking over his tall chair. As the noise resounded, Lucy had no chance to run as Peter grabbed the back of her chair and forced it out from underneath the table, turning it back to face him. Lucy sunk back in the chair as it nearly toppled over before Peter slammed a hand on it to steady it, then got in her face._

_"Ooh, now you're going to get it you little brat." Suddenly Edmund was near them on her right and he was smiling like he was enjoying her getting in trouble all too much. Lucy's eyebrows shot up at seeing him, having a hard time registering it all._

_"Do you have anything to say?!" Peter yelled, regaining her attention._

_Lucy closed her eyes. "You're not real. You're not real."_

_Peter sneered. "Not real? Ha. I don't know if you really have lost your mind or are just trying to get me to feel sorry for you. Either way, I'm not falling for it. Illnath was right when he brought you back, you really do have no manners. Well I won't stand for it any more, Lucy. I've let you slide for too long. You deserve to be punished. And you will learn your lesson one way or another. Maybe then you will treat me with more respect." Lucy watched as he balled his fist._

_"What? Peter, no, no. It isn't real! Illnath didn't bring me back, he took me away again. You aren't angry at me. I don't need to be punished! Peter, please!" Lucy felt like she was losing her mind. The magic was quickly taking its intended effect on her, muddling her mind, rendering her confused. It hadn't been bad when Lucy first was captured, but having now spent what she thought could easily have been well over a month with him, the mental manipulation became harder to see past. She struggled to remember where she had been before, why she thought this was fake, but she couldn't seem to remember clearly._

_She watched frantically as Peter didn't listen to her pleas and grabbed something sharp off the table._

_"No. No. It isn't real. You're not Peter."_

_Peter knelt down in front of her, holding a small knife. "If this wasn't real, you wouldn't be able to feel this, Lucy."_

_She blanched as she realized he intended to come at her with the knife and suddenly shoved him away, causing him to fall backwards. Lucy jumped from her seat and ran. She heard Peter's heavy footsteps behind her, knife still in his hand. And suddenly he was yanking her back, arms trying to lock around her waist. She kicked and pushed, trying hard to break free. She saw Edmund again and begged for his help. He looked at her with an unreadable gaze, and when she thought he was going to help, Susan appeared and put a hand on his shoulder._

_"Don't. You know it was better without her. At least now she'll get what she deserves."_

_"Lucy, if you would listen to me in the first place then none of this would be happening! You're fifteen, have to learn to obey!" Peter gritted out, twisting and turning wildly to get a better hold on her._

_Lucy thrashed against him as her mind screamed, '_Aslan! Aslan please help me, please!'

_"Let go! Peter, let go of me!" she yelled out loud._

_"You have to learn your lesson, Lucy! You have-_oof_" Peter was cut off by Lucy jolting as she felt something sharp pierce her side. She threw her head backward in reaction and collided with Peter's nose. He dropped her suddenly and she fell to the ground, barely registering her stab wound as she sucked in air and crawled fiercely away._

_But Peter was too quick and too angry, as he felt blood trickle down his face. He lunged for her, hands finding purchase around her ankles. With a grunt he pulled her back._

_Lucy slipped and slid across the cold floor as her brother dragged her. Her mind reeled; fingers dug at the ground to find gripping. _'Aslan, please!'

_"No more, Lucy! You will learn to act as I say!" Peter yelled; eyes blinded with rage._

_Lucy grappled for anything that would help her. She had to get away from Peter, she had to – something solid and cool to the touch grazed her fingers and she latched on to it before she thought about it, just as Peter yanked her back one last time, fist raised. Lucy lifted the object with screaming muscles and landed it hard across the side of Peter head. In the blink of an eye, she saw Peter fall sideways, his face contorting into something else, and then it was dark._

_Lucy felt like she had been thrown forward, but she was right where she had been one second ago, lying on the ground. But her surroundings no longer looked like they had. Cair Paravel was gone, and Peter was no longer there, but someone else was in his place. Illnath appeared just as clear as the dark walls of his dining room did._

_Lucy remembered then. She had been at dinner with Illnath, not Peter. She had made Illnath angry, not Peter._

_The heavy silver tray that once held the meat they ate dropped from her hands. Illnath didn't move and as her eyes adjusted to the sudden change in surroundings, she saw a trickle of blood on his temple._

_Lucy stood, shaking. She watched as the cuff's light burned dull and low as it had when Illnath took her vision of Susan away. Lucy felt energy she hadn't earlier and wasn't sure if it was the energy Illnath usually stole from her returning as the vision ended before he wanted it to, or just adrenaline. Her heart pounded in her head and she couldn't move for a moment._

_"Illnath?" She called his name quietly, unsure if she was once again in a dream or an illusion he made her see. Was he testing her? Was he seeing if she would run, if given the chance? Or was this the opportunity she'd been praying for? Fear seized her as her mind raced. She still half expected to see Peter appear. Or at the very least, Illnath moving. But it didn't come. What did though was a voice that was very precious to her._

_"Go, Dear one."_

Aslan._ Lucy knew, somehow, it was him. His voice was clearer and truer than anything she had experienced in all her many weeks locked up here. It was solid and warm. It was real._

_He spoke again. "Go, Lucy. Hurry now. I have not left you. Be brave, little lioness."_

_So, Lucy ran. And she didn't stop, no matter how cold she was, no matter how dark it was outside, and no matter how many sharp rocks and twigs scrapped at her bare feet. She didn't know what direction she was headed in, or to who she was headed to, she just ran as Aslan said to, her mind becoming clearer than it had in some time as she sped away from that dark place and breathed in fresh air._

_Had she paid it any attention, Lucy would have noticed when she ran out the front entrance of Illnath's Keep that the air shook as if a door was slammed, but there was no door to be seen. Had any one seen her at all, it would have appeared to them as if Lucy ran right out of thin air. For the place she'd been imprisoned at was locked under an invisibility spell. But she was too preoccupied to have noticed, as she ran and ran, stopping only once the sharp wound on her side was too painful to ignore as her adrenaline calmed and her blood poured out. Thankfully for her, three small woodland creatures were near. And they ran for her when she no longer could, bringing back her brother Edmund, real and true and in the flesh._

_**…...**_

Lucy sat huddled between her brothers and sister by the campfire as they ate their dinner. The wind blew colder and colder and she found herself looking up at Peter, who sat on her right. The warm fire casted half of his face in light, the other half in shadows. But he didn't look menacing or scary or even mean. In her time back he hadn't hit her or looked at her the same way he had in her last vision. _That's because that wasn't him_, she reminded herself. She knew it too. Peter was good and safe. She had felt it instantly once Aslan told her to run, giving her the chance to clear her mind and remember the truth. And she had missed him tremendously. She'd missed them all tremendously. That thought alone prompted her to snuggling close to Peter, leaning her head on him.

Had she been looking up, she'd have seen Peter's surprised, and happy, face at the small little action. He looked at Susan who sat on his other side and she gave him a look that said 'I told you so' with a smile.

The night was mostly quiet as the oncoming storm had brought about a sense of solemnness. All around, a band of Narnian's, that Lucy knew was acting as their around the watch guard, were gathered, some still keeping watch, other's eating and whispering amongst themselves. It was quiet, as the crackling of the fire was heard above all else. The Pevensie's had soon found themselves out of words to say. There didn't seem to be any, as all four were tired and growing a little numb. It left Lucy's mind wandering as one Narnian started playing a flute, soft and slow.

Lucy's thoughts were on Illnath and his keep and all her torment. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. She didn't want to keep going back there in her mind. But if this past week had taught her anything, it was that she couldn't help but go back there. She thought something was wrong with her, as she knew it only made her feel worse and was a stupid thing to do, especially as she was the safest she'd been in months. But she couldn't seem to help it.

Two months. It had been nearly two months that she'd been missing. Lucy had shuddered when Susan told her the exact length of time. Lucy had tried to keep up with it herself as she was locked up, but found it very hard to keep track of as days would go by and she never got a peek at a clock or the sky or the outside world. Some days she'd even be forced to stay awake for the entire night. It all made it difficult to tell time.

Lucy snuggled closer to her brother as she thought of those days gone. She took to rubbing her arms where the bruises lay underneath her sleeves. Peter thought her to be cold and held her a little tighter, reminding her she wasn't alone now. That was something she was grateful for. She hadn't had anyone to comfort her or to keep her warm while she was gone. During that time, she'd spend her nights crying her eyes out and bleeding and aching and shivering herself to sleep. During the days, she tried to stay strong and be resilient against Illnath, fighting to remember the truth behind all the visions, taking every bit of pain bravely, but finding it harder and harder to do so as she felt herself slipping and losing her mind and faith. She had been continuously scared. Constantly afraid. But she was no longer there.

Aslan had been her only hope while gone and she prayed harder than she ever remembered doing before while stuck in that bad place. She begged him to make it stop, to let her not feel alone, to give her strength and faith, to go home. And looking back on it, in her darkest times, she now remembered them to not have been as bad as they felt. She swore she had heard Aslan's low growl at times, once even thinking Illnath did too, as he was hitting her, then stopped abruptly. His head had whipped every which way while a fearful look crossed his face. Lucy had nearly laughed at the sight. Illnath had left her alone for a day and a half after that. But then came back like nothing had happened.

He didn't like it when Lucy talked of Aslan, which made her do it more. She brought him up often whenever Illnath questioned her about her family or Narnia, or her right to reign. She cried out to Aslan in visions, even saw him in some. And Lucy didn't think that was a part of Illnath's magic. She would have known the difference between a fake Aslan and a real one. You can't copy that if you tried, and she questioned whether Illnath even had the ability to conjure up the image of a lion at all. Lucy thought not. For if Lucy saw one, she would only think of Aslan, and he was just too sacred a sight for Illnath's dark magic to harbor such light.

Through it all, she felt the Great Lion's presence sticking with her, keeping her safe, helping her keep her faith. She never stopped believing in him, no matter how much Illnath wanted her to. She would not give him her most valuable and trusted hope. She would not give in to his idea that Aslan wasn't real or, at the very least, wasn't coming. Because of course one is "Not coming" if he is already there, as Aslan had been with her all along. And when the time came, she heard his voice telling her to go, giving her the time and courage to escape. He made her valiant when she wasn't sure she could be.

_Thank you, Aslan,_ she thought. And as she did, she felt a little warmth in her heart. It grew and encompassed her like an armor. She smiled at that and looked again to her siblings sitting next to her. She hoped they felt that warmth too. She needed them to. They had been through so much as well, and she knew they still were afraid that she would be taken away again. If Lucy were being honest, she was afraid of that, too. The cuff drove her mad with that fear and it usually took everything in her to not kick and scream and yank at it, trying everything to force its grip away and relinquish herself from it. But for a moment, with the warmth acting as a shield, she didn't feel that way now. She felt hopeful, and though she was still unsteady and unsure, she felt like she could see herself able to move on in the future. To not feel the constant need to be with her family. To have them in sight, to cling to them. She could image herself not so fearful, and for the first time, it actually started to feel accomplishable.

Now if only her family could feel the same.

Lucy felt a lot of the burden they carried. She thought she was the reason for it. She knew that if she could feel better, they could too. Because they were only fearful for her.

When away and forced to succumb to all of those horrid spells and sights, it made it difficult for Lucy to distinguish what was true. She tried so very hard to remember what was real. What was her own memories of her family. She'd squeeze her eyes shut and picture Peter's golden hair and strong features. She'd think of every characteristic she ever assigned to him. Then she'd move on to Susan and her dark locks and sweet smile, again thinking of every detail of her personality she could muster. And lastly the process would repeat with Edmund. Lucy would see his warm brown eyes and sneaky grin, and remember as best as she could who he was.

She knew every detail by heart. But there was something about the magic of Illnath and the cuff, something about the energy that was constantly being drained from her, that left her weak and confused, her mind muddled and unsure. Her body would ache with pain and her head pounded as she thought long and hard to memorize over and over again everything about her family. The strain left her worn out and ready to quit thinking altogether. But seeing them now, she knew she hadn't been wrong about even one detail of them. She felt relieved at that. She use to lie awake at night in her cell at the Keep, piecing her real memories of them back together, hoping that she was really correct and had not become a complete victim to Illnath's games by not knowing her family the way they truthfully were.

_Aslan, please given them rest. They deserve it. They need it. I need them too much right now for them to not be here. Please help them._ Lucy prayed as she stared at the fire before her and as few of the Narnian's around her joined the one playing the flute. They added in a hand drum and a stringed instrument. The beat picked up from its sad tune and easily turned into something happy that matched the fervor of the rolling thunder in the distance.

Susan smiled at the change in pace and Edmund stomped his foot. A cold wind blew again, and while everyone still shivered against it, it didn't feel grating but rather, added a nice cool down to those who started to dance.

Lucy still leaned her head against Peter but she smiled warmly at the scene. It was so Narnian. So simple, yet so needed it seemed. Suddenly, she was reminded of the energy and excitement of the Summer festivals and the Autumn dances. She even felt laughter bubble out of her as a couple of dwarfs tumbled through the dance, being swung around too quickly by the taller lot around them.

And just like that the solemnness was gone. Now it was all fire and music against the dark sky and night and it felt right. It felt happy and joyful and all sorts of things that Lucy hadn't felt in a long while before finding her family. Feelings she at one point was afraid she would never feel again.

"You'd think those dwarfs would remember their steps a little better by now." Edmund laughed.

"Oh no, I remember seeing Tellan over there dancing last summer at the Equinox festival. He couldn't keep up then either. He fell twice," Susan laughed. "But he didn't stop the whole night through, not until everyone was leaving."

"I do believe they had to drag him away, actually. There is the possibility he had a little too much to drink that night." Peter smiled.

"You think?" Edmund said again and all the Pevensie's found themselves snickering, all four relaxing.

Just then something caught Peter's eye in the darkness a little ways off on the other side of the fire.

"Lucy, there's something the three of us have been meaning to tell you." He said.

Lucy pulled her head up and looked at Peter, a little wary at his words.

"What is it?"

"We have a surprise for you. It took a little while to get here, as many of our other scouts looking for you were on the other side of Narnia, but it's finally arrived."

Lucy was confused for a moment but her family just smiled. She looked at them oddly before hearing someone speak.

"Your Majesty."

Lucy looked up towards the voice from where she was sitting. And she instantly felt her eyes wetting at the sight before her.

"M-Mr. Tumnus?" She questioned slowly and quietly as the faun knelt before her. The look on his face mimicked her own as he gently reached out, a nervous laugh echoing through him, and took her hands. He paused, taking her in like he was still unsure if he was really seeing her or not. Tears reflected in his eyes.

"You know, the last time I was worried about you, you were running by the light of a lamppost. This time I find you by the blaze of a fire." He said with a small laugh that was choked off in his throat. He paused again; emotion clear on his face. "I am _so_ glad to see you."

A tear rolled down her face at his words. Lucy leaped out, throwing her arms around her dear friend, hanging on for dear life.

"I have missed you." She whispered over his shoulder.

"And I you, Lucy Pevensie."

The two held onto one another for a moment before wiping their tears. Lucy hugged his side as she looked back to her siblings. She felt excitement shoot through as she realized that she was surrounded by so many of the people that she loved the most. And they loved her and cared for her and were so opposite of the dark, twisted versions she'd been forced to becoming acquainted with.

"You brought him all the way here?" She asked her family, sniffing.

"We thought you'd like to see a friend." Peter said, as all three of the eldest Pevensie's looked on with plastered smiles. The happy, excitable Lucy they knew was back for a moment.

She looked around at them all. "Thank you. This is all I wanted the whole time I was gone. All of you." Lucy shed a few more tears while still beaming. Susan reached out for her sister's hand.

"It's all we wanted too, love." She said, drawing her thumb across Lucy's knuckles.

Another cool breeze blew through and Lucy shivered in spite of the ever-growing warmth she felt filling her. Tumnus turned to look at her.

"Here. I think you need this more than me." He unraveled his red scarf from around his neck and wrapped it around Lucy's. It was scratchy and soft at the same time and felt like the most special gift she could have gotten at the moment.

"Thank you."

"You're more than welcome. Now, Queen Lucy, would you do me the most gracious pleasure and come dance with me?" Mr. Tumnus bowed in an exaggerate way that made her laugh.

Lucy looked back at her siblings and reminded herself for the one thousandth time that this was all real before turning back to her friend.

"I would love to."

The two joined the dancing and before long, Peter and Susan, and Edmund were joining in as well, turning in and out and switching dance partners. They all felt the thrum of the music and the thrill of the movements as they kept in time with the beat. And none of them noticed, until after the sky opened up, pouring down rain as everyone ran for cover, just how much their cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing and how light they felt for the first time in much too long

**…...**

Later, that night found all four Pevensie's dry and warm, getting ready to fall asleep. Lucy's brothers and sister had their own cots and hammocks set up in her tent so they would be able to be with her every night. It was a comfort to Lucy, to have all three of them with her as she fell asleep, knowing they'd be there if she awoke from a nightmare or with uncertainty in the morning, waiting to bring her back to reality and prove to her she was where she hoped she was.

Lucy yawned loudly as she sat crisscrossed on her cot. Edmund made sure Peter and Susan weren't looking before leaning over to her.

"Hey, Lucy," She looked to her left and found Edmund holding out a small piece of chocolate wrapped in a pretty red foil.

She smiled widely, remembering the night he found her, and took it. "Thanks, Ed."

"Well, what can I say, I promised right?" He matched her smile and then kissed her on the forehead. "I love you. Good night."

"Love you too."

Lucy quietly unwrapped the sweet as Edmund hunkered into his hammock. She looked over to Susan and Peter as she popped the treat in her mouth and saw them whispering about something. Lucy was concerned at first until she heard them laugh. They looked happy, relieved even. _Thank you, Aslan._

Her eldest siblings found their way over to her a moment later. "Alright Lu, time for bed." Peter said as he motioned for her to lie down.

"I'm not eight years old any more, Peter. You don't have to remind me it's bedtime." Lucy said with a small laugh.

"Sorry, it's just habit, I guess." Peter smiled and sat on the edge of her bed and tucked her in – another habit of his he hadn't done in some time, but had quickly gotten back into the swing of since finding her.

Susan stood behind Peter, leaning her arms on his shoulders. "Good night, love. Sleep well." She said, and reached to brush hair off of Lucy's forehead.

"Good night. I love you."

"We love you too."

As Susan quietly recited one of their little stories their mum used to read them, Lucy felt more at ease than any previous night that she'd been here. Her wrist still hurt from the cuff, and she still had bruises and fear, but it didn't seem as weighty as it usually did. She took it for the blessing it was and closed her eyes, knowing the feeling might not stay with her for long. Her fingers then drifted under her pillow for a moment to feel the leather sheath of her dagger. She kept it there just in case and its weight put her even more at ease. When she finally stopped moving, having found the most comfortable spot and settled down under the covers, she fell asleep almost instantly.

**…...**

Lucy's eyes shot open and she sucked in a deep breath as her heart pounded.

It was so inky dark that she couldn't see who was over her, nudging her awake earnestly.

"Lucy, wake up. Wake up!" A quiet voice whisper yelled.

She blinked and stared hard, hands reaching for those shaking her awake. She knew that voice.

Peter's face began to come into view above her as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Peter? What's going on?"

"Come on, Lu. We've got to go. Now." His tone sounded pressing. Almost urgent.

Lucy shot up, nearly colliding with him.

"What is it?"

**Ooohhh what do you think it is? Please review and let me know if you have any ideas! And thanks to everyone who has read this far! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! Thanks to all the wonderful people reading and reviewing! I truly hope you are liking the story and enjoy this new chapter! Lot's of things are happening all at once now! Please review and comment, I love hearing from everyone and getting to respond to you all.**

**In response to Guest's Review: Thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it! I promise to keep updating until the story is finished. I'm expecting to have the next chapter up quicker than usual too! So, keep an eye out and thanks for reading!**

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"Come on, Lu. We've got to go. Now." His tone sounded pressing. Almost urgent.

Lucy shot up, nearly colliding with him.

"What is it?" Lucy questioned; eyes wide. She shivered but didn't dare pull up the covers. In moments like this, when one is forced awake in the middle of the night, all sorts of things can run through one's mind as for a reason why. But only one thing was blaring in Lucy's –_ Illnath._

"No time, Lu. We've got to go. I'll explain later." Peter tried pulling her up, but Lucy forced her weight back and stayed in her place on her cot.

"No, Peter, please just tell me-"

"Lucy," Peter got close to her, holding her face gently to make her look him in the eye. "I need you to trust me. We haven't time, but I swear I'll explain it all soon. Just know it's me. It's Peter." Of what little she could see of his face in the darkness she could tell he seemed genuine. She thought on it for a moment. She wanted to trust him, she wanted to not be afraid anymore, to be okay with blindly following him like she always had before.

"Okay." She said quietly, and then Peter was pulling off her covers, throwing one of his large coats around her, and trying to hurry her out. Lucy reached back for her dagger but was too slow as Peter yanked her forward.

"Peter, do I need-"

"Shh, Lu. We've got to be quiet." He had her hand in his and was making his way to the front of the tent when Lucy swung her head around. It was so dark, almost unnaturally so. She couldn't make out any of her surroundings and was counting on Peter to not lead her into anything.

"Where's Susan and Edmund?" She whispered.

"They've already gone out; they're going to meet us." Peter pulled back the tent opening and pulled her along with him at a quick pace.

The storm was no longer raging, but there were the occasional lightning flashes amongst the steady drizzle that was falling. Lucy blinked, trying to see through the blackness and discern the cause of their sudden departure. She didn't have a clue where they were going or why, but she definitely knew the familiar wariness growing inside her. It didn't help that the darkness seemed to cling to them. She could make out small torch lights a short way off, and the outline of tents, but nothing more. It actually felt like she could see things in the distance better than things right before her. That's why it startled her so badly once she heard a voice close by that didn't belong to her brother.

"Your Majesties, are you alright?" A faun that Lucy recognized as one of their permanent watchmen (and one of the few in camp that knew for sure of her presence) was standing there, looking rather confused.

"We're fine. Nothing to worry about, I assure you. Back to your post." Peter sped out, rather rudely.

"Y-yes, your majesty." He said, and hurried off in the direction that Lucy and Peter came in, casting a few looks back.

"Peter, if something bad is happening, shouldn't our guards know about it?" Lucy asked, feeling just as confused as the faun had looked.

"Lucy, not everyone knows what's going on. Like I said, you just have to trust me, it's imperative that we leave. Now." He sounded like he was really trying to be kind, but was also nervous and in hurry to get his family to safety. And while Lucy appreciated his need to protect her, his words put her on edge.

Her feet stopped moving and she planted herself in place, pulling Peter back with her. "Is this about Illnath? Is he here?" She asked nervously.

"Lu, please come on, I'll explain-"

"Just tell me if it's him, Peter. Please. I know you don't want to scare me but I already crossed that line a long time ago, and you know it. If he's near I want to know. I need to know."

Peter huffed and looked off to the side, debating his thoughts before quickly responding. "Yes. I got word that he's near. Soldiers spotted him close to the tree line at the front of camp. Susan and Edmund are gathering a few men and supplies and are going to meet us at a designated spot I came up with days ago for the four of us to meet at, should anything happen. Looks like now it was a good thing I planned ahead. I swear I'm just trying to keep you safe. Now, please, just come with me. We need to hurry."

Lucy's heart pounded at his words as Peter went to grab a flickering torch from a nearby stand. Her mind was wild with thoughts and she wished this was just a dream – one that would leave her waking up in her cot, surrounded by her family and not Illnath. But when Peter came near, she felt the heat of the torch, a reminder that this was no illusion. Its heat radiated and lit up Peter's face. Such a familiar face. This was no vision or dream. This was real. Another shiver went down her spine, cold from the rain and her fear creeping in.

Peter reached for Lucy's hand and started leading her away swiftly when she once again stopped short and pulled her hand free.

"Lucy, we-"

"I know – I'm coming, I promise – but I have to get my dagger. I want to be able to defend myself for once if I have to face him." She looked as urgent and adamite as Peter did. She could not face her captor again without a defense of her own. Even with her family around, she needed its weight and sharp edge in her hand. For too long, she had been utterly defenseless against Illnath. She couldn't let that happen again.

"No time, Lucy, you know I'll keep you safe-"

"I have to Peter!" And with that she took off running back to her tent before her brother got the chance to stop her. She knew he wouldn't understand and would stop her if given the opportunity. She knew he thought it foolhardy – and it probably was – but she refused to be without her gift again while in danger. Besides, Illnath wanted her, and even if he just used the cuff to get her back, eventually he'd come close to her. And if she had her dagger then, it could come in handy.

As Lucy ran, she heard Peter behind her coming after her. She saw the faun from before rushing and speaking in hushed tones with another guard standing near her tent, before they both ran off. And she felt the slight sting of the drizzle smacking her in the face. She ignored it all. Her eyes were on her tent. All she wanted was her dagger and then she'd be gone, then she could get to safety, then she'd be back with her family, then–

A figure came forward out of the corner of her eye, and pushed itself before her, making Lucy collided with it. Her tent was just a few yards away. As she stumbled backward, the figure reached out to steady her. Pulling her gaze up, Lucy was struck with a chord of confusion much greater than what she felt before. Peter stood before her looking just as bothered as she did.

"Lucy? What are you doing out here? Where's Ed?" He tried pulling her close but she pulled herself out of his grasp completely. He looked hurt before he turned his head to the right, paling, at seeing who Lucy had originally been out there with, skittering to a stop near them.

Lucy's head was on a swivel. She gaped. Two Peters stood before her. Both equally familiar, both her brother.

"Lu, what is this, what's going on?" The new Peter said in a dark tone, stepping forward to partially block the Peter with the torch.

"I-I don't know. I don't know -" She was at a loss for words. She kept flinging her eyes to look between them, but neither one seemed different or wrong or gave any indication that they were an imposter. _I should know my own brother!_

"Lucy, it's Illnath, he's here already. You need to get away from him. Now." The Peter with the torch said nervously, slowly unsheathing Rhindon, the metal resounding.

Lucy continued to stare, and found that was all she was able to do. She didn't know who to believe. They looked the same. Both dumbfounded, both Peter, both wanting to protect her.

Lucy was shaking, heart thrumming as she knew this was no dream, but it was magic. Magic that once again was playing with her mind, making her unsure of who her real family is. "No no no no no," She muttered under breath, voice rising with everyone word.

As her breathing became audible, the Peter that had just stopped her also pulled out his sword, closely watching his appearance in front of him, but speaking to the sister behind him.

"Lucy, calm down, deep breaths. I know you're confused. I know you're scared. But you know your family. You know what is real. This is just a trick, like everything else Illnath's done."

"He is right about that, Lucy. You know what is real. I told you Illnath was here. I was trying to get us out. But he was closer than I realized. I am so sorry, Lu. But you have to know that this one before me is fake - he's Illnath! I woke you up, love. You know that. It's me. It's Peter." The one with the torch said.

"He's lying! Lucy, listen to me. I left our tent because Oreius woke me with news, said soldiers on lookout spotted someone in the woods near the edge of camp, but that they had suddenly disappeared. I woke Susan and Edmund to get things ready in case we needed to run. If it was Illnath sneaking around, I didn't want you anywhere near him. But I didn't want to scare you before we knew for sure. Susan was helping me prepare and speaking to other soldiers who might have seen anything, but I left Edmund with you and guards by your tent..." The new Peter glanced around, realizing that no guards were by the tent, and Edmund was nowhere to be seen. "I swear they were here! H-he must have sent them away, and they listened because they thought he was me!" He said, pointing towards his likeness holding the torch.

"Stop it, stop it!" She yelled, shaking in place as she stared. Everything the two of them were saying was giving her a headache, making her more confused. Ever so slowly she walked around the Peter whose back was to her. He was wearing an emerald green tunic, while the one holding the torch was wearing royal blue. Neither, she noticed, had on Peter's night clothes she had last seen him wearing – a plain white shirt and brown britches. She stood a good length away from them both, but was now on their side, able to see each of their faces. She stared, not knowing what to say or what was true. They must have seen it on her face because one spoke up, trying to convince her again.

"Lu, your favorite dessert is the strawberry pastries Mrs. Beaver makes, you love swinging on the old wooden glider in the back garden behind the Cair-" Green tunic Peter started.

"Oh shut up! Lucy told us you know things about her, about us all. That you stole into her mind and memories to make things seem real to her, Illnath. You're running by your boot straps but you're tripping yourself. She won't believe you." Torch Peter said.

"Oh, would you both be quiet!" Lucy cried, hands pressed to the side of her head._ Aslan, please help me, please._ Lucy's head was swimming and her fear rising. Clearly one of them was a trick, but why would Illnath even bother with looking like Peter? Why not just whisk her away with magic like he had that day in the throne room? Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't hear the running of feet in the distance.

Suddenly Susan and Edmund came rushing up from around tents, seeing first the Peter in the slowly dimming torch light. They went straight towards him, Susan calling out.

"Peter! What are you still doing here? We have to go-" She stopped short and grabbed Edmund's hand to hold him in place with her, finally close enough to see the sight around them. They both blanched. Lucy shivered at their looks and the cold air.

"What in Aslan's name?" Edmund started.

Torch Peter in the blue tunic spoke quickly. "Don't you see? Illnath's here already, and he's trying to confuse Lucy. You two have to help me! Make her see that I'm the real Peter – that we were trying to leave, that we were going to meet up in the woods!" He gave them a pleading look.

Edmund and Susan glanced back and forth between the two versions of their older brother before looking at each other. They looked like they finally understood why Lucy had been so easily manipulated by Illnath's magic. Visually, it was indiscernible. But they pulled themselves together enough to respond as Peter's word sunk in.

"Well, we _were_ going to meet you two at a spot in the woods..." Edmund started.

"What?!" The Peter in the green said, clear distress on his face. "For starters, we were most definitely_ not_ going to split up, and we weren't headed for the woods. You two know that! You have to know he's lying! It's me!" He looked frantic.

"Well, maybe _you_ weren't planning to go to the woods, but we were. And Peter was definitely wearing blue." Susan said, face suddenly full of suspicion as she inched towards the Peter with the torch.

Edmund's face slowly reflected Susan's as he caught on. "She's right. Lu, it's us. You know it's us." He said carefully, looking pleading and genuine and a little fearful, while also moving towards Susan and that Peter. Lucy felt relief start pooling in her as she heard her siblings words. It made sense. She too took a few steps towards them.

But the Peter in the green held a wild stare full or fear. "You have to know their lying! Lucy, it's another trick - I promise you!" He set his eyes on her, ignoring those before him, though his sword stayed raised in their direction. He swallowed hard and then said, "Lucy," Though this time it was quieter and calmer, despite how nervous he looked. "Lu, it's me. It's Peter. I know you're confused and scared, but I'm real and I'm here, the very same as I was the day you were born and every day after that. I searched day and night for you before, Lu. I held you as you cried over nightmares and uncertainty and fear all caused by Illnath. Please don't leave me now."

Lucy wanted to look at Susan and Edmund with the Peter they claimed was the real one, because their story seemed the most likely. After all, it wasn't just Peter's word against his own now, Susan and Edmund said so too. But this Peter looking at her, dressed in green, seemed so earnest, so scared. How could she know the truth? Was it possible Illnath was tricking Susan and Edmund too? Or was he really just tricking her by making her question her siblings again?

Suddenly, Lucy was overcome with tiredness. A headache began to blossom behind her eyes as she squeezed them shut and open again.

Lightning flashed over head. Her thoughts and worry swirled, as her wrist started aching from the cuff. She felt like she was trapped again, where one wrong move would end her up in a world of pain. She was so caught up in it all that she hadn't noticed the growing commotion. All around it seemed that some Narnian's were being alerted by those that had kept watch and knew of Illnath's presence in the woods. She saw the faun from earlier running up out of the corner of her eye, and with him, was another Susan and Edmund, another pair looking just like the one's standing by the Peter holding the torch. Lucy felt nauseous at the sight and swayed with dizziness. More confusion, more manipulation to pull on her heart strings and twist her mind with fear.

"Su, Ed! Get back!" The Peter in green cried, and the two sputtered to a stop. Their eyes were wide with confusion and fear once they took in the scene.

"What-what's going on?" This new Susan stammered, while the new Edmund narrowed his eyes, but found himself unable to come up with words of his own, his mind muddled.

"It's just as Lucy told us. Illnath makes himself look like us, makes her think she's with her family when she's not. It's magic. And he's trying to confuse her now, trying to make her go with him." Peter in the green said, before continuing as this Susan and Edmund took it all in. "You two, tell Lucy what you were doing, why you're up and were not at the tent."

Edmund looked wary as his dark hair clung to his wet forehead as the drizzle continued. He glanced again between the two Peter's and the other version of himself and Susan, but spoke up. "Peter woke us, saying scouts spotted someone sneaking around camp. You wanted Susan to help you, to get food and supplies together for us to leave as soon as possible if it really was him - because you weren't going to give him the chance to take Lucy again, while I stayed with Lucy and you made sure there was reason to truly believe it was Illnath. But-but then you came to me and told me to go help Susan, forced me to, more like it. I didn't want to leave her alone, but you invoked your command as High King. Said I didn't have a choice, that you'd stay with her."

"That wasn't me, Ed. It was Illnath, he just looked like me. I told you, Lucy, it's exactly like I said before. I promise I'm telling you the truth." Peter in green said.

"Don't listen to him! Lucy, we wouldn't lie to you, _were_ your family - the family that has cared for you and helped you through this. You know Illnath loves to use mind games against you. Don't fall for it!" The Peter with the torch began, as the Susan next to him affirmed his words. All the while, the new Edmund next to the Peter in green started speaking again, disputing his argument. Quickly and all of a sudden, it was all shouts and noises and promises of truth from everyone around her and Lucy couldn't take it anymore. She felt as lost and unsure as she did locked up in that keep, not knowing what day it was, how long she'd been gone, or even if the things she saw were real or not, just as she had felt all those mornings waking up in the camp, safe and secure, but not certain...but that's why she had come up with ways to know the truth. She might not be able to tell which of the people before her is Illnath by sight alone, but she knew things he didn't.

And that's what made her run.

She could barely breathe and her head pounded as she shot between the raised swords of the Peter's, constantly thinking she'd be ripped back by magic at any moment. Constantly thinking she'd find herself staring at Illnath, as he slowly appeared and Peter disappeared.

But it didn't happen and she reached the opening of her tent while all the others yelled her name. It was dark, but not as dark as it had seemed mere minutes ago when she'd been awoken. She could tell immediately now that the cots and hammocks all around her were empty. She reached her own, flipping the pillow, and gripped tight her sheathed dagger, before stuffing it down into the big pocket of Peter's coat she was wearing.

And as soon as she did she felt a burning sensation.

The runes etched into the cuff started to glow, growing brighter and brighter in intensity.

"No, no please, Aslan, help me!" She couldn't go back to Illnath or his Keep, she didn't think she could bare it. She raced back to the tent opening, hoping for some kind of help, but collided with the jumble of siblings that were following her, making their way inside the tent. She stumbled backward as they pushed their way in.

"Stop - stop!" Lucy yelled above their din. And they stilled once everyone saw the burning runes. Lucy was visibly shaking and pulled her tear filled eyes up to the older brothers and sisters around her. "I don't want to go, I-I don't want to..." But she didn't want to stay there either with the indiscernible lies and truths standing before her.

"Lucy, it's okay! It's okay!" One of her brother's was yelling, along with one of the Susan's saying, "It's alright, just hold on!"

The burning of the cuff increased as they all started to crowd around her, shoving and pushing against each other. Lucy barely noticed though, as she felt the pain screaming up her arm. She let out a high pitched cry as its intensity grew. Voices were all around and she felt people pulling and grabbing onto her. Her energy was suddenly and without announcement gone, and she nearly fell to her knees. She squeezed her eyes closed as the burning glow shone brighter.

And when Lucy opened her eyes, the camp was gone.

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**What do you think happened, and who do you think was telling the truth? Please review and let me know your thoughts! Thank you! **

**I'm thinking I'll have the next chapter up quicker than usual. So keep an eye out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi there! Yes, I know this is late and I am honestly really sorry about it. I knew what I wanted to do with this chapter for the most part, but it turned out to be one of my hardest writes yet! Anyways, thanks for waiting and clicking on this story again! And thanks to all the wonderful reviews - you are all so kind! To repay everyone for their kind word and patients, here is a super long chapter - and I mean _long_! (Another reason why it was so challenging to write - I had a lot to say as this story just kept growing to be more than I initially planned :D) **

**In Response to Watergirl2207: Thank you for reading, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! **

**In Response to AcrossFandoms: I hope the wait wasn't too bad, but like I said above, hopefully a really long chapter helps make up for any wait there was! Thank you for your kind words and feedback – I appreciate it more than you know!**

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Lucy looked around at the scene before her. The colored tent she was standing in was gone, the camp was gone, and her family – real and fake – was gone. She blinked at her surroundings.

She now stood in the middle of a wood. Snow padded soft under foot as light snowflakes fell around her. A half-moon lit up the sky above and reflected off the white wonderland all around. It would have been beautiful if the darkness and cold and her confusion hadn't made her feel uneasy and disoriented.

_It's just a vision. It's not real. I'm still at camp. I have to be – unless. Illnath could have used the cuff to send me somewhere else for real, like he had in the throne room when he took me from Peter._

Lucy took a few steps, unsure of where she was at or if anyone was around. Maybe Illnath had sent her by herself, certainly he didn't have enough power to take everyone with him. Or did he?

Her thoughts ran. She didn't dare call out, afraid that it would just be Illnath nearby. Maybe she could get away from him if she were quiet...Lucy thought that her best bet, and after listening for any movement, took off as quickly and silently as possible.

Lucy cut her way through dense trees and heavy snow. It was slow moving and she was getting tired already from the energy Illnath took from her. Not to mention she was freezing. But she had to keep going. She forced herself to. So she pulled Peter's coat tighter around her and kept on. She hadn't gotten far before she started to think she heard the noises of someone or something close by. She looked every which way but it was too dark to see. All around her the sounds seemed to grow. She picked up her pace.

The noise grew louder and closer and her heart beat nearly right out of her chest as she stumbled and shivered her way through snow that was seeming to grow and deepen. But still she kept moving. That is, until a dark headed figure stepped out before her, suddenly stopping her in her tracks.

Lucy forced herself to stop, trying to turn, and let out a small yelp as the figure grabbed her.

"Lucy! Calm down it's me, it's Edmund!"

She breathed hard and pulled back, unsure if it was really her brother. "Ed?"

"I swear it's me! But we've got to go, I've heard movement nearby. I think it's coming closer." He said, and wrapped his fingers around her arm.

"Ed...Edmund" Her brother started to yank and pull her along, though Lucy tried to pull out of his grasp. "Stop! I'm not going with you until I know you're real!" She cried.

Edmund ignored her and pulled harder, making Lucy's heart beat faster as she struggled trudging through the snow, knowing the real Edmund would calm her down before forcing her away. So, she thrashed against him more than before, feeling the immediate need to run away from him.

"Edmund, I mean it, let me go! Stop – just wait! Ed-"

Edmund whirled around and slapped her hard, sending her falling backward from the momentum of pulling away from him, and from his hit.

"I said we need to go! When will you learn to listen?!" He shouted, his pale features suddenly turning dark.

Lucy's hand pressed to her cheek. Her suspicions were now guaranteed. "You're not Edmund." She spat.

"Of course I am, you're just too stupid to realize the truth right in front of your face. It's been here all along, Lucy. Open your eyes."

"Edmund, dear?" A cold voice suddenly called from the darkness. Lucy tried to stand but felt her strength going once again at the voice alone. She knew who that was.

"Over here, Your Majesty." Edmund said.

"There you are, my Prince. And with a gift. Is she for me?"

"Just like I promised." Edmund smiled cruelly at Lucy as a tall figure appeared behind him. Her skin was paler than the moon, unnaturally so. Her lips blood red, and her voice ice cold. _Jadis._

Lucy tried to run but found Edmund grabbing a hold of her hard, keeping her back against his chest so she had to face the Witch. Lucy struggled against him but his grasp only tightened.

"Edmund, thank you for completing your task. You will be rewarded." Jadis said coolly.

"My pleasure, my Queen." Edmund responded.

The White Witch then raised high the knife Lucy thought Edmund had broken in two at Beruna. It was pointed right at her.

"And now, Daughter of Eve, you will die. Like you deserve." Venom dripped off Jadis's lips.

"Edmund!" Lucy shouted as she thrashed, but her brother only laughed and kept her in place. The Witch's arm started to come down and -

_Lucy felt like she was suddenly thrown forward._

But she was standing on her feet, no longer held down, and nearly fell over from the sudden shock of it all. She blinked hard as her eyes adjusted to the bright light of the sun filtering through wide windows. She was out of the dark forest, but the cold still lingered, as she was now standing in Cair Paravel. And there was her sister, as beautiful and radiant as ever. She stood in a billowing red gown, dark curls falling around her, while glittering jewels hung about her neck. She was stunning. And very clearly admiring herself in a large looking glass.

"Lucy, do be a dear and bring over my slippers." Susan said, not taking one eye off herself.

Lucy heard her but didn't respond, as her mind was racing to catch up with the change. Her heart was still pounding against her chest and her breath coming in hard.

"Any day, Lucy. Honestly, you don't get paid for lagging around. I'm waiting." Susan huffed.

"I'm your sister. You don't pay me at all." Lucy said in opposition, reminding herself that this too, couldn't be real.

But her comment clearly didn't go over well, as Susan suddenly stood straight, rigid even, and turned around. She looked beautiful and vicious and very unamused.

"And why would we, when you are nothing more than a waste of space and our time and energy? I mean honestly Lucy, for all that Peter, Edmund, and myself have done for you, you could be a little grateful. It's the very least you could do, considering the burden you've always been on us. Now, bring me my slippers."

"You're not Susan."

Her sister's gaze flicked to Lucy in the mirror she was once again staring into. "I am, just as I am your Queen. Now, make yourself useful for once and do as I say."

"Susan wouldn't talk to me this way." Lucy said, doing her best to sound firm and adamite. She told herself she would not fall into mind traps anymore. All the while trying to forget how easily it was to step right into them.

Susan's shoulders dropped and she all of a sudden stared at the younger girl knowingly. "I know what this is about. Come here, Lucy. Please." Her voice was smooth and gentle and her expression suddenly very kind. It was a look Lucy had seen many times before, as Susan was always the most empathetic of her siblings. It was such an easy transition for the girl before her that Lucy questioned for a moment if she was wrong, and if this was really Susan, before shaking herself out of that thinking.

Lucy realized then that she was already starting to feel the effects of the magic, even if only a little bit at first. She noticed the familiar, comforting weight of it in her head. It was so easily convincing her that what she was seeing was real, making her forget, enchanting her, like the magic was always meant to...but Lucy bit her lip and pulled her shoulders back, remembering Illnath and his games.

"Lu, I'm serious." Susan tried again, but when Lucy still didn't move, the older girl walked forward and took her hand, leading her younger sister to the large looking glass.

"Look here." She said softly, playing with Lucy's hair, her voice lulling. "Now don't feel bad. I understand, I know things are difficult for you. It has to be, with you not being as pretty, or smart, or as important as the rest of us. Mother and Father having four children really wasn't fair to you, considering you were certain to not get the goods or the talents that the rest of us already have. By number four, there really just is no hope, everything worth having or admiring has already been taken. But before you go mopping about that, you have to remember that it wasn't fair of them to leave it to their first three children to raise the fourth, either. We haven't had it easy, Lucy. All your bad dreams, the crying, the bad attitudes, the constant need for our attention and approval – it's been exhausting and loathsome to deal with! But there you were, always following us around, begging for us to notice you. Longing for our love. But how could we give all that? You've just never been good enough, Lu. It's not all your fault, I mean, you've had a lot to live up to, having three older siblings like us. Edmund, being so intelligent and brave. Peter being magnificent and strong, and me, the most beautiful, wise, and regal woman most have ever seen. I'm truly befitting of a Queen. Men would go to battle for me over the drop of a hat. I can understand why you'd be upset, Lucy. You being so homely and untalented, yourself. But that doesn't mean you aren't useful or should disregard your duties."

As Susan spoke, her grip on Lucy's shoulders increased, holding her in place. Lucy found herself not wanting to look at Susan's reflection, because it was too great, too perfect. And so, Lucy was left to stare at her own reflection, and as she did, she appeared to herself as growing more and more worthless by the second. She found herself ugly and pitiful, dressed in fraying rags. _Susan was right, I'm nothing but a bother. I've been their burden_.

Susan honed in on so many of Lucy's insecurities – of her not being nearly as pretty as Susan, of her being incapable compared to her siblings, of Lucy being a burden put on them by her being the youngest and always in need. Lucy's mind was beginning to be so muddled and full of doubt, the magic seeping in, that she barely heard Susan continuing.

"It is your duty that you owe to us to obey and listen and do right the first time. It'll be the best thing for you in the long run if you remember that. You know how Peter gets when you're bad." Lucy felt a shiver at those last words, suddenly feeling left over bruises her brother gave her the last time she did wrong.

Susan went on. "Now I'm going to tell you only once more, Lucy. Go fetch my slippers."

Lucy caught Susan's eyes then and, still unable to look for too long out of shame, nodded slowly. Susan patted her cheek and then pushed Lucy in the direction of the shoes, before finding her seat in a nearby chair.

Lucy walked across the room and picked up the delicate satin slippers that she herself didn't feel worthy to wear, and walked back to Susan, who only lifted her skirts just enough to reveal her bare feet.

"Come on, Lu." Susan said impatiently.

Lucy hesitated, something about the scene felt familiar, almost like DeJa'Vu. She thought she must have to do this often. _Yes, that must be it. Susan is expecting it._ Lucy slowly knelt on the stone floor. She had already been cold but the stones made it worse and she shivered as she tried to maneuver the shoes onto Susan's feet. She shook so much that she couldn't get the first of the pair to fit around her sister's ankle quickly enough, and Susan snapped at her for it.

"Honestly Lucy, can't you do this one thing right without my help?"

"I-I'm sorry, I'm trying. It's just so cold." Her shivers brought her mind back to the cold woods with Edmund and the Witch. She felt another sense of DeJa'Vu at the thought. Something about it felt odd, pressing even. She successfully slipped one shoe on and tried the other as she thought on it. Lucy then remembered shaking as Peter woke her up in the tent. He had slung his coat over her shoulders because of the cold. But why had he woken her up? It hadn't been morning, it was dark and –_ Illnath._

And then Lucy remembered. What she was seeing – Edmund in the woods with Jadis, Susan yanking on her insecurities – these were all things Illnath made her see and feel and convinced her at one point were real. She wondered how she could be so foolish. Lucy felt almost too drained to stand, and realized again that the cruel man was using her like a battery to power his magic, to convince her all this was real.

Suddenly Lucy pushed back on her heels, getting away from the look alike of her sister.

"Lucy? What are you doing? The other shoe, now-" This Susan was saying. But Lucy only threw the shoe at her and ran for the door in the corner of the room. She knew it led to a hall outside of the Queen's chambers. Susan was on her heels though, yelling at her, calling Lucy something nasty.

"You're not real!" Lucy shouted back as she grabbed hold of the door handle, twisting it as fast as she could, and forcing herself out the door, slamming it shut in the process.

But once again, she was not where she expected to be.

Lucy found herself back in a dark area, though not too dark to see. A sliver of light cascaded out of a crack in between two grand doors that stood shut before her. Lucy caught her breath as she felt a little dizzy from another switch. She knew she had to remember none of this was real. If she could hold out for long enough to where she had no energy left, Illnath's power would drain and he would eventually pull her out of these visions. She only hoped her real siblings were still somewhere nearby and that she wouldn't end up back in the Keep. A chord of fear ran through her at the thought of being back there, for it truly was the place where all her nightmares became real.

Lucy glanced all around. She recognized where she was. She was standing right outside an entrance to the Cair's ballroom. And it was dark because the sun had just sunk below the horizon outside of the windows. Music lilted through the air. Then came muffled chatter and Lucy realized it was coming from behind the closed doors. There was a party going on.

Though she was scared, Lucy knew what she was supposed to do. She was supposed to go into the grand ballroom and join whatever lay ahead. She took deep breaths, she had to remember what was going on, her few ways to fight the spell, to maybe even stop it. She had remembered before, when she ran into her tent. She should be able to now, if she tried. Anyone of the little things she and her family came up with to let her know she was safe would work.

Lucy stuck her hand into her pocket, once again dressed in the night clothes and coat she'd been wearing when still in camp and not in the rags she saw in the mirror when with Susan. She felt the hilt of her dagger and traced her fingers over the smooth leather sheath.

_Aslan, please, you've got to help me. Thank you for pulling me out of those other visions, give me strength to fight this magic. Keep my mind clear. Give me the chance I need to stop this. Let me know what is real. Thank you._

Lucy took another deep breath and stared at the large doors, wondering what she'd find behind them. She knew that whatever it was, she had to stay strong, had to end this. _Please Aslan._

The music swelled as she pushed open the grand doors, and suddenly, she was swept into the twirling dancers before her, all dressed as finely in rich colors as she was, donning her own yellow ball gown that replaced her night clothes once more. Smells of delectable food wafted in the air and the chatter of voices rumbled around the edges of the room. It all hit Lucy at once. She stumbled, trying to get out of the way of the dancers and not fall while taking in all that was around her, when someone grabbed her hand and pulled her close, swiftly moving in time with the music.

"Lucy!" Peter swept up to her without missing a beat and suddenly they were dancing with the crowd, quickly getting lost amongst the people.

"Peter..." She tried to push back from him but he wouldn't let her. He looked at her oddly and lowered his face close to hers.

"Listen quickly Lu, I don't think we have much time. Illnath threw Susan, Edmund, and myself into these visions or dreams or whatever this is! But he's still playing around with us all. I saw you in the woods and then in Susan's room – we all did. But we couldn't get to you, and no matter how much we called out you didn't hear us. But we're here, it's me. We haven't left you."

"How-how do I know you're the real Peter?" All he had to do was say the right thing - Lucy knew he knew what they were – all of her family did. Any one of their little things would work.

"Lucy, look at me, love. I'm trying to tell you that I'm here, that I'm not leaving you no matter what Illnath does. It's me._ You know it's Peter._" He leaned forward and brushed a kiss across her forehead, then spun her in time with the dance.

Lucy wasn't sure if she felt sick from the turning, or from his words. What he said was kind and hopeful and should have brought her peace. But it didn't. She didn't actually know it was him, despite him telling her otherwise. Maybe it was the cold, or her fear, or something else, but she didn't feel like she was with Peter, no matter how much her eyes told her she was. Because he just didn't say what her dagger had reminded her he should have. And Illnath was always so good at coming up with comforting words that sounded real. Maybe this was actually him.

"Lucy, do you believe me?" He asked, his expression turning strangely menacing.

She stared at him, mouth slightly agape. She didn't know what to say. But she didn't have to.

Suddenly there was a swell in the music and all the dancers moved in a diagonal motion, crossing each other, switching partners. Lucy felt her new partner grab her hand and she let the stranger spin her away, glancing back to see Peter trying get back to her, before disappearing behind the swirl of people gathering around him. Her mind was reeling then, trying to figure out a way out of this. But everything was jumbled, and the dancing didn't help. She was tripping over her own feet, and trying to think clearly, all the while feeling the magic start to reach the edges of her mind again. She forced it away as best as she could, but she was dizzy and disoriented. Her breathing came in gulps. _Aslan, please help._

She was feeling exhausted by now. Her feet twisted and slid and she stared tumbling with too much momentum as her partner let go and switched to the girl beside them. Lucy thought she was going to hit the floor but rather fell into the chest of the man who swept up to be her new partner.

"Lucy! Lu, are you okay? Do you know what's going on in this vision? Why are we here?" His words tumbled out too fast as Lucy looked up, her eyes widening.

"Edmund?" She asked, once again very cautious.

"It's me, I swear. I'm here. But you've got to know that what you saw back in the woods wasn't me, Lu. I would never do that. Not again." He said, looking very serious.

"Y-you saw that?" She questioned, now wondering if the Peter she saw before wasn't lying about her siblings seeing her other visions, or if this was just another of Illnath's versions of her brother, repeating the sorcerer's words.

"I did, and I tried to help you, but Illnath used his magic to keep me, Pete, and Susan from getting to you. It was like we were stuck."

"How do I know you're real?" Lucy asked harshly. She didn't know what to believe anymore and hated this uncertainty.

Edmund didn't say a word, instead just yanked her hand that was in his up to his ear. "Do you feel that, Lucy? It's me, it's Edmund."

Lucy's fingers brushed against the raised skin of the scar behind Edmund's ear, just as she had the day she first woke up in her tent. She could also feel his warmth and that's when she knew. She wanted to collapse into his chest from relief but didn't let herself.

"Edmund." She smiled gratefully.

"That's right, I'm here, we all are. But I think Illnath is still creating versions of us for you to see. That's who was with you in the woods, and in Susan's chambers."

"What about the Peter I was just with?"

"What? I didn't see him. I haven't seen Su either since the last vision. I haven't been able to get out of this dance. I've been trying to fight it, but I'm stuck again, doing the motions. Every time I get close to the edge of the dance floor, I feel a force sucking me back in. I supposed Pete and Su were stuck in it too. It seems we're all pawns in Illnath's mind games.

"I'm tired, really tired, which means he's using a lot of my energy to make all four of us see all this. And to make look a likes of all of you, and to keep you all at bay from helping me. He's not got much left, I'd imagine. At least, not for too much longer. This is more people than he's used to controlling."

"Well then, we may just have to wait it out."

Lucy's heart started to speed up, thoughts once again rushing. She was afraid of just waiting it out. "But Edmund, this may be more than just visions! There's a possibility he sent us all somewhere, like he did with me back at Cair. If that's true, when he does end the vision, we could all be back at his Keep and sitting in a cell. He could put one of these cuffs on you three! He'll hurt all of you even when he's not using magic! He does awful things – all sorts of _terrible_ –"

"Lucy, calm down! It'll be alright. We're at least all together. We will figure it out, I promise." The way her brother looked at her told Lucy he'd fight the world for his family if he had to. It helped calm her pulse a bit.

Edmund spun Lucy to match the rest of the dancers, but as she twirled someone else grabbed her hand and pulled her out of his grasp. She looked back and saw more dancers crowding around, one of which joined Edmund. Lucy was swept off into a new strangers' arms who carried on with the dancing as if this really were just a party. Both she and Edmund tried to get back to each other, but it was no use. They lost sight of one another quickly as dancing couples moved back and forth and their new partners held on tightly to them.

Lucy was hit with a sudden claustrophobia. She was exhausted and barely able to keep up with the movements as they went on. Her partner was all but dragging her now. She needed out. She had to get out of this mess and find her family. At the thought of not only her, but her family possibly having been sent to Illnath's Keep, her mind started replaying all her punishments, all the tormenting visions of death and betrayal and blood she'd been forced to endure and feel while locked up. The idea of her siblings being put through that as she had been made bile rise in her throat. She felt so broken over her experience with Illnath – she couldn't let her family go through that. She knew if they really were trapped with him and in his Keep, then he'd force Lucy to watch as he made Peter witness all of his men fall violently to their deaths in battle, blaming Peter for their demise. He'd make Edmund see the White Witch tying him to the stone table, and all his family there waiting for it, angry at his betrayal, calling for his death. And he'd have Susan see her brothers beat her black and blue, leaving her cold and alone and bleeding out as she cried in the darkness. Lucy knew this because Illnath made her go through all that and more. And she couldn't bear it to happen anyone else. She had to know what was real, and what wasn't. And because of Edmund and his scar, she at least had a starting point.

Lucy was passed around once more as the steps and music went on, and when she was, she started to thrash and push against her partner. The man, who she didn't recognize, tried to grab her and force her back into the dance. But she pushed as hard as she could against his chest, sending herself falling backwards into more dancers, and sending them to the ground.

Lucy ran then but struggled as people crowded around, spinning and twirling and moving on the dance floor. She was trapped in the middle of them all. She started pushing her way though, tripping over her own long gown and that of others. She stumbled over men's feet and was knocked around by people turning in and out.

She started hearing people around her react to her, women gasping in shock as she shoved her way through, men huffing angerly. Everyone started murmuring about her disruption. The voices grew as the music did, and she could have sworn a familiar voice called her name.

"Lucy!"

It was Susan.

Lucy turned her head all about, and swore she caught sight of her sister to the left of her. She went to dash after her as her dark-haired sister moved in the opposite direction, then heard Peter calling out.

"Lucy, where are you?"

"I'm over here! Peter, I'm here!" Lucy responded.

"Lucy?" That time it was Edmund.

Each of her siblings sounded frantic. She turned her head like a swivel, trying to locate one of them. She saw a golden head and thought that Peter, and ran as best she could between people to catch up to him. She knew if she did manage to find one of her siblings, it could just be Illnath, but she didn't care, she had to chance it to find them. She saw the back of the blond man again and reached out for him, but as he turned around, she saw he was a stranger.

Lucy stumbled backward at the realization. Her heart pounded for a sense of sanity and truth. The music and murmuring people suddenly sounded too loud. The swishing of dancer's skirts swept all around her. Her claustrophobia felt renewed and fear started to cloud over.

"Lucy?!" Edmund called again.

"Ed?" Lucy said, breaths coming in hard, mind confused. She once again felt the influence of the magic nudging at her mind. It was a heavy sort of feeling, like you get when you're tired and can barely hold your eyes open. It felt good and Lucy was just so tired, that she wanted to rest in it. But she knew she couldn't.

The calling from her family went on as she turned in and out of dancers, the dance floor seemingly never ending. She was dizzier than before as the colors of dresses and suits and décor and bright lights were all around her. Lucy was freezing and out of breath. The more she searched, the less she found of her family. A panic started rising in her as the music swelled and the calling continued. She still looked all around, head turning every way for a familiar face. She was trapped in a sea of gowns and colors and people and noise, all of it swirling in and out. Lucy started running again, now just hoping to get out of the middle of the room and off to the edges. It was too much. She pushed and shoved as best as her weakened state allowed her. Her feet tripped and barely caught her from falling. The noise resounded inside her skull.

"Stop," She said, though it sounded more like a whisper against all the commotion. "Stop, stop...I said STOP!" She cried with a yell as she fell towards the floor.

Her yellow dress billowed around her and as her knees hit the ground, everyone around her popped out of existence, the noise coming to a shattering silence. It was jarring, to say the least. Lucy looked up almost dazed, expecting to be somewhere different because of the sudden shock of silence and space. But she was where she had been a moment ago, in Cair Paravel's ballroom, it was just empty and quiet now.

For a moment, all Lucy could hear was her own breathing as she gulped down air. The silence was blissful, yet frightening. Her resurgence of fear over her family started making its way back into her heart. She shivered.

"Lucy!" Peter's voice called, and as Lucy looked to her right, she saw all three of her siblings, just as they appeared at the campsite, with this Peter being in green, running towards her.

"Lu!" Another cry from Peter came, but this time it was to her left, and again she saw her siblings coming her way. This Peter was dressed in blue. Lucy felt a headache slamming into her temples. Once again, there were doubles of her family, and she didn't know who was real.

But both sides came to a shuddering stop, falling back on the marble floor before they could reach her. Lucy watched as all of them got up and struggled to come forward, quickly realizing there was a magic barrier keeping them from meeting her. Both Edmund's pounded against the invisible wall between them and her. But there was no use. They weren't coming any closer, no matter how badly they may want to.

They now stood only ten feet from her, but Lucy still could not visibly distinguish them apart from one another.

"Lu, we can't get through, you have to come to us." The Peter to her left wearing the blue tunic said.

"Don't listen to him!" Edmund on the other side yelled.

All six versions of her siblings seemed to erupt, yelling at her and one another. Lucy's head hurt, her confusion was nearly palpable, and the magic in the air seemed to simmer, still trying hard to take its hold over her mind. Lucy looked in both directions before shutting her eyes and holding her head in her hands, trying to block out their noise.

Just when she thought she might truly lose her mind, something happened. Above, or maybe it was below, the din, a whisper came to her, so close she swore she felt warm breath on her ear, just barely blowing her hair.

_Remember, Dear One._

Aslan. Lucy knew, it had to be. She smiled inwardly and before she thought of what to do next, one voice came through the cacophony, similar to how Aslan's had. It was near.

"Lucy...Lucy, please look at me."

It was Edmund, the one to her right, next to the Peter in green. When Lucy pulled her gaze up to him, his voice returned to sounding at the distance it was, and not right beside her like it had only a second ago. Everyone else was still bickering back and forth, shouting over one another so much Lucy couldn't understand their words, vying for her attention. But only this Edmund had it.

They caught each other's eye and Edmund looked at her like he was trying to say something, then reached his hand to the back of his ear. It was a movement that should have meant nothing, normally wouldn't. But to Lucy in that moment, it meant everything. It meant that she knew who was real.

And it also reminded her of what could end this all – the reason she ran back to the tent – _My dagger!_

Lucy tried not to look frantic as she touched her side where the pocket she had stuffed her dagger into was. She still had on her yellow ball gown, but in between the billows and layers of skirt, she felt once again the soft leather sheath.

_This is just a vision._ It had to be if she could feel the dagger. It meant that she was truly still wearing her night clothes and Peter's coat, and the magic only made her see otherwise. The fact that she could feel it at all also might prove that she was right in thinking that Illnath's power was dwindling as her own energy was being drained from her. It had to be too much for him to pull it all off for long since he wasn't just enchanting Lucy, but all of her family too, she thought. And she was the only one wearing a cuff, so Illnath only had her energy to use. Without that, he was weak and nearly powerless. Which would explain why he had to risk coming into camp to get Lucy back. Because the spell Ridgecrest had put over the shackle kept Illnath from simply snapping her back to him like he had that day in the throne room in Cair Paravel.

Lucy felt hope rising in her and she sent a prayer of thanks to Aslan before trying to stand. She wobbled on her feet, so, so tired. She knew what she needed to do to end this and then she could rest. The idea was a relief. They could all rest, knowing that this was over for good.

She glanced back to Edmund, for she knew now who the true Edmund was, and gave him a slight, almost unnoticeable nod. Right after, he sent a knowing look to Peter and Susan, who were still arguing back and forth with their look a likes.

"Be quiet – everyone! Shut up!" Lucy yelled and grabbed their attention. For a few seconds the room was silent.

Lucy looked between the two sides before one spoke up.

"Lucy, love, you need to listen to me –" Came the Peter in blue, the one she knew wasn't her brother. But she cut him off.

"You're going to tell me that you're the real Peter, that I should go to you. But why should I believe you?" she asked, turning to face him and having her back to her real family. What she needed to do required her to get close to Illnath. She hoped her family would understand what she was thinking.

The Peter, Edmund, and Susan that looked back at her now wore kind and pleading expressions. One's that looked like a hurting family who only wanted to help. Illnath was good at this, Lucy thought, he knew just how to make things look for it to appear as truthful. lllnath, still wearing Peter's face, spoke up again to answer her question.

"Because Lucy, I've been with you – we've all been with you – your entire life. We love you and protect you and I swear, we are telling the truth."

"He's right, Lu. We are only trying to keep you safe." The Susan next to him pleaded.

"I know." Lucy said. "That's all you ever do, keep me safe." She took a few steps in their direction . She heard her real sister yell something in response behind her, but Lucy ignored her.

"That's all we want - your safety. You know we are telling the truth. Don't you remember us?" The false Edmund said, and as he did, something peculiar happened that took her off guard.

Lucy stood stiff as memories flashed before her eyes. There she was, much younger than she is now, running to Peter as a storm raged outside. She was scared, but her big brother wrapped her up and let her sleep with him. Then she was with Susan, learning how to shoot a bow and arrow. Her big sister lifted Lucy's chin and made sure her posture was right, then smiled proudly as Lucy hit her first bullseye. Then the scene shifted to show her running around Cair Paravel with Edmund, sneaking past guards and older siblings, to escape duties, the two opting to play instead.

More and more memories danced before her in a flash. Years and years of loving images, some she didn't even remember. But they all warmed her heart, all made her feel safe and secure. And that heavy, sleepy feeling came back to her, no longer touching the edges of her mind, but now sinking closer. Her limbs felt weighty and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up snug by her big brothers and sister, just as she had been as a child. The feeling grew and felt right, and as quick as the memories came, Lucy was forgetting that the people before her were not her family.

"Lucy..." This Peter called lightly. "Come to us. We'll keep you safe."

Lucy took a few more steps forward, and as she did, the Peter speaking to her stepped closer too, no longer bound by the invisible wall. He was quickly close enough to touch. He reached out and cupped her face, running a thumb across her cheek. He was so cold that Lucy became concerned and wanted to cover him up with a blanket and sit him next to a fire.

"There's my girl. I knew you would come back to where you belong." He smiled at her and Lucy wanted to latch onto him, once again safe and at home. But a loud and irritating commotion was coming from behind her, pulling her away from her thoughts of family.

Lucy turned and was hit with a wave of confusion, before remembering again that she was having to figure out who was real and who was not, as another set of her siblings beat against the see-through barrier that seemed to still be up for them. Lucy cocked her head and gazed at them quizzically, mind muddled.

"Lucy, stop! Don't fall for it! The Peter dressed in green yelled, followed by his Susan crying, "Lucy you have to listen to me, I can help you know what's real - just listen!", and their Edmund shouting her name over them both while also scratching behind his ear. Their shouts and looks of fear made Lucy sad. It made her question just the slightest the siblings standing behind her.

Apparently sensing it, the Peter in blue that was standing right behind her leaned down beside her head, hand on her shoulder, and whispered to Lucy.

"Look at them, Lucy. They're going mad, because they're not real. They're Illnath in disguise." And suddenly, once again, images of memories flashed before Lucy's eyes.

She was standing in a court room and Edmund was happily handing her off to a Calormen Tarkaan, and leaving with a sack of money as Lucy cried after him. Then Susan was chasing her through a dark wood as Lucy tripped over a root and was sent sprawling. Susan stood over her then, arrow lock and pulled back against the bow, ready to fire. And then tears were in Lucy's eyes as Peter stood over her in their dining room, his fists coming down on her in full force.

Lucy sucked in a sharp breath of air at the cruel visions. The siblings that were still beating against the invisible wall - her real siblings - watched as she took on an utterly fearful look while staring at them. It sent a pang through them, and they yelled louder, trying to break through whatever spell Lucy was forced to be under.

With the snap of fingers, the memories were gone and Lucy looked on those before her fearfully. Her mind was nearly numb from the sudden take over of magic, but she battled her best, trying to uncover the truth. Every conclusion she came up with told her the family she was looking at now was actually Illnath, judging by the awful things she saw them do to her, and that the family behind her was real, again remembering the good things she saw when looking at them.

The false Peter in blue still had his hand on Lucy's shoulder and she glanced back at him.

"I'm tired. I just want to go home."

"Then home we will go." He said, a smug look on his face.

Lucy blinked back new tears that were forming in her eyes and shivered against the cold. She was so exasperated, so ready for this to be over. She was thankful she thought she had found her true family. She felt Peter tugging on her shoulder to lead her away and just as she was about to turn to go with him, the Susan still stuck behind the barrier called out even louder something she had been repeating.

"Sixty yards as the crow flies, Lucy! Sixty yards!" Susan's voice nearly cracked at the fear that was budding in her. And Lucy heard it. And she recognized the words too, though at first, she was unsure why. Lucy looked to the Susan in front of her as the girl repeated her words again.

"Sixty yards as the crow flies," She said, as the Peter in green beside her spoke the next line.

"There I'll find where all our dreams hide," Their Edmund then piped up, still scratching behind his ear.

"And in the end, when they're gone,"

Lastly, all three finished the rhyme together. "It'll only be because I lived them all."

_Remember, Dear One._

Lucy felt like she was smacked in the face. Memories of the camp and Illnath and dancing with Edmund flooded her mind suddenly, forcing the magic away. She remembered the visions, the lies and the truths. She remembered running back into her tent for her one defense that she could use against her captor, should she need it.

Her fingers went to the billows of her skirt before feeling something soft and smooth, then something cold and sharp like metal.

"Lucy, please," The Susan before her cried one last time, tears spilling over, unsure if reciting their rhyme helped.

But Lucy felt breath over her shoulder and the cold fingers still gripping her. She looked over and saw the Peter in blue still waiting, mere inches away, right behind her for her to come with him. "Let's go, Lucy. Now."

Lucy then glanced back to the family before her as they still tried to break the barrier. But it was no use.

"Yes, it's time for this to be over." Lucy said, sensing Illnath smiling at her words, as her hand gripping tight a familiar handle.

As fast as she could, eyes still on her real family in front of her, Lucy lifted her arms, and sent the tip of her dagger backwards, whisking right past her side, and landing hard in between the ribs of the Peter behind her.

The wounded Peter gripped Lucy painfully, doubling over her shoulder, their faces right beside one another. Blood coughed out of his mouth and landed on her gown, staining the brilliant yellow silk. Lucy looked nowhere but forward still, eyes never leaving her true family as Illnath's breath was felt on her skin while he sent a slew of curses out.

"Stupid girl – _stupid_!" He yelled and pushed Lucy forward onto the ground.

She turned swiftly onto her back and saw what still looked like Peter hunched over her, eyes wild and manic, blood trailing out of his mouth, and dagger secure in his rib cage.

Suddenly, the ball room and all the light and colors around them started to flicker in and out in flashes every few moments, too quick to see clearly where they really were. The false Peter's face contorted and Illnath's started to appear as plain as day, though much more crazed than Lucy ever saw him before. The Susan and Edmund that stood behind him dissipated into dust.

"You foolish child! You and your family!" Illnath spat. "You think you're valiant but you're not. You are nothing more than a scared, _broken_ little girl, just as you've always been! All it took was me showing it clearly for everyone else to see it!" Illnath staggered on his feet. He tried pulling himself up to his full height but was seized in pain. He drew in a sharp breath but forced himself to continue. "Your family is nothing important or special – _nothing_ deserving of the thrones or loyalty you've been given! Aslan's chosen is a disgrace! And I've proven it." He screeched as he gripped tight the handle of the dagger and ripped it out of his body, blood oozing out as he hollered in pain.

Lucy could hear her family yelling behind her as they beat against the now fraying barrier, long cracks in it becoming visible like a chipped glass door or window. But her attention was on Illnath as she yelled back at him.

"You've proven nothing! Aslan chose us for his own reasons - reasons that no one is worthy to question. You tormenting me doesn't show my weakness, only your own!" Lucy cried.

Illnath's laugh sounded unhinged as he sputtered for air. "No - No, I broke you, little Queen. I broke you and your family. Because you weren't strong enough for the roles given you. So damn Aslan and his reasons! He is wrong!" Illnath yelled before leaping towards Lucy, dagger raised high.

But just as he did, the magic of the barrier keeping Peter, Susan, and Edmund away, broke completely, the noise a crescendo as its force shot out like shattered glass, pushing Illnath backwards. The sorcerer fell onto his back and his head hit the marble floor with a crack.

And just like that, all of the illusions were gone. All of the magic dissipated into thin air. And all that was left was Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy inside of the tent they shared in camp, Illnath's dead body lying still in the corner.

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**Yeesh that was a long! Thanks for getting here! Please review and tell me what you think! This was a difficult write, so it'd mean a lot to hear what you all think of it! Thank you!**

**There will be an epilogue to this story! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone! Here is the final chapter to this story and I want to give everyone a huge thank you for reading! I had an idea for this story ages ago but it never came to fruition until now. I wasn't even sure I was going to post more than the first chapter, leaving it just a one shot. But readers were so kind and interested in more that I sat down to finish it. So thank you for caring enough to read as each new chapter came!**

**Please review and tell me what you all think, it means a lot and is helpful to me as a writer. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this epilogue!**

**In response to Bob: Ahh! You are too kind! Those dream sequences were very difficult to write and I was worried it would be confusing - so thank you for putting me at ease! And thanks for continually reviewing and reading, and for being so gracious and kind! It means so much to me!**

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It was dim inside the tent as the sun had yet to rise, though many more torches were lit outside, providing just enough light to let Lucy be sure that she was staring at Illnath. She had been right, though she didn't realize to what extent. But with Illnath gone, all of his magic went too, quickly throwing her and her family out his illusion.

Shouts and voices could be heard outside, but she paid them no attention. Lucy's mind was reeling, still trying to catch up from the vision and events she was just dropped out of. Her siblings seemed to be having a much harder time, still catching their own breaths as they had not the experience with magic and mind games that Lucy did. They looked all around, eyes having a difficult time adjusting. But Lucy could see clearly and looked only straight ahead.

Illnath was lying on his back, unmoving. Blood was pooling from his wound, staining his clothes crimson. His neck was bent at an awkward angle. He was so still, except for Lucy's dagger slipping out of his curled fingers, hanging limp.

All four Pevensie's let out a breath they didn't know they were holding, but the eldest three sucked it back in again as Lucy suddenly shot forward.

She quickly kicked Illnath's hand, sending the dagger flying out of reach, then landed on her knees as her siblings ran towards her. Lucy's cold fingers felt Illnath's even colder skin on his neck. There was no pulse. There was no breath, no heartbeat to be found. Her tormentor was truly dead.

Lucy didn't wait to find out if this was just another allusion or vision, she wouldn't allow herself to think like that. She shot up, turning around just as her siblings reached her, and fell straight into Susan. Lucy curled herself into her older sister and released a few tears she hadn't realized had started to blur her eyes. Some were sad tears, more were happy. She was free now, able to start working at moving forward. Allowed to truly learn and remember – to _know_ – what was real. The relief was tangible, but the uncertainty that still tripped her heartbeat stayed, even if in small doses. And while still clinging to her sister, Lucy prayed with all her heart that it would go away.

All that happened after this was a blur. Her family gathered around her, Peter and Edmund clearly a little wary that Illnath wouldn't suddenly spring back to life through magic. But still he laid. Guards ran in then, swords at the ready, huffing about a strong force around the tent that had been keeping them from running in earlier to help, zapping them if they even tried. They talked loudly with Peter, trying to understand what had gone on. Everyone was a little confused, but accepted what information they were given once seeing that their leaders needed them to just accept their words. Illnath's body was then carried out. Lucy barely heard or noticed any of this happening around her. Even hardly taking notice of Ridgecrest working the cuff off of her wrist (though she quickly became fully aware of her chaffed and raw skin exposed once it was fully removed). Camp was loud and full of movement before the sun rose, and even when it had, Lucy barely moved. Her family stayed with her and the four of them just sat together, all working hard at clearing their mind of the left-over confusion that was leaving them just as Illnath had, their thoughts clearing.

Eventually they were all warm again and felt able to nibble at some food. Then their appetites grew and they ate more, and before long they scarfed down as much as was given them, feeling much hungrier than they remember feeling in a long while.

By late morning all four were moving about, taking charge to calm the ruffled and ready to fight Narnian's as word of their leader's entrapment quickly reached everyone. By the afternoon Peter received a message from the leader of one of their scout groups. Something strange had happened in the woods overnight. So, the Pevensie's saddled up and rode out to investigate. What they found was a fairly large home, planted right in the middle of the wood. What was peculiar about that was that the house hadn't been there yesterday. In fact, many soldiers and search parties – even King Edmund himself – had passed right by there in days past before Lucy had escaped. At that time this area looked like nothing but a tangled heap of overgrown trees and gnarled branches. Now it was a very different sight. It was quickly understood that this appearing house was in fact Illnath's Keep.

Lucy stared hard at it upon finding it. Before she even knew of what it truly was, it somehow felt familiar and foreboding, though she had never actually seen the outside of the Keep before. In fact, it was probably a good thing she hadn't, for the outside didn't at all appear as menacing and evil as the inside did.

The house was big, but altogether uneventful. It was a dark gray color and had drooping windows. The front door was wide but fading in color, with an ornate, but rusty knocker and handle. The glass and seals of windows were a little dirty. The whole thing looked like it was being left to slowly fall apart. It was rather sad feeling, actually. A shadow fell over it as the sun was hidden behind a cloud and suddenly it looked like a large, gaping hole in the otherwise cozy forest.

When the question was brought up to the Queen's and King's about what to do about the place, all eyes went to Lucy as the others felt they didn't really deserve a say in the matter.

Lucy didn't meet their gaze, only stared hard ahead towards the place of her misery. A sudden gust of wind shook through the trees violently, making the old wood of the house creak and sending a chill through her, along with a thin string of fear as memories of her time spent inside those walls were brought to the forefront of her mind.

"Burn it." She said quiet and solemnly."Burn it to the ground. There shouldn't be any evidence that such a place ever existed. That such a _person_ ever existed. The master of that house loved allusions and presenting the false as fact. So burn it and let it be as if it were never real to begin with."

With her words the first match was struck and Lucy watched as the flames slowly licked at the old wood. Then another gust of wind came and carried the flames higher and wider, and soon they stretched across the whole of the house. The place now looked like a giant torch as the fire ate away hungrily at the planks, the siding, the door. Windows shattered from the heat and with their noise, Lucy swore she could hear her own screams as memories stuck to her mind. She breathed in a large gulp of air. The smoke burned her throat and nostrils but it was welcoming. It anchored her. She looked up to the blue sky, the sky she wasn't ever allowed to see while locked up, then looked to her family that stood closer to her than they had a moment ago. She had seen them while kept inside that place, but never as they truly were. Not really. Those were memories of the past and false vision produced from magic. They were lies. What was real was the flesh and bone of those beside her. What was real was Now, in that moment. She breathed deep again and pulled her shoudlers back, reminding herself that Illnath would not get the best of her. _Thank you, Aslan_. Lucy looked back to the burning house, and what she saw made a small smile pick up the side of her lips. The destruction of that vile place and all that happened there was becoming real as the fire burned. And it made Lucy feel free just watching it all come to an end.

The Pevensie's stuck close together for the rest of that day. And when night fell, they ate a warm supper while listening to the flutes and merriment of their people – all of them celebrating the return and safety of their Queen's and King's. And after, when the noise and revelry could no longer keep at bay their nervousness of the night or their heavy eyelids, the Pevensie's slunk back to their tent and tucked warmly and securely under their blankets, each saying a kind or comforting word to one another before closing their eyes.

That night as the camp lay asleep and guards kept a lookout, someone passed by unseen. Velveted paws padded softly and nearly unheard through the grass and past tent after tent. When he reached his destination, a shake of a mane sent a light breeze full of a comforting weight over the four sleeping monarchs. Then warm, life filled breath was breathed upon them.

It was a breath so soft, so healing, it was like they themselves were being released from stone. And though they did not know it, all four Pevensie's relaxed more into their cots and hammocks. Their lungs filled more easily with air that was now sweet and fuller than before. Rest came easy to them in a way they were starting to believe it would no longer.

Aslan's breath gave a peace that surpassed all of their understanding.

It was baffling really, but in a way they wouldn't mind once awake. It wouldn't feel pressing or frustrating to not understand. It just was, and the Pevensie's were okay with that.

As the Great Lion left them to doze, Lucy drifted into a heavier and more restful sleep than she had gotten in ages. Her dreams were sweet and without a single fear or shadow among them. They were all sunlight and warmth and as golden as Aslan's mane. She felt excitement rush through her and a reviving of her bones. When she would awake, she would find herself feeling the same happiness and love of life that she had had before Illnath. She would also find her nightmares long gone and all of her doubts and uncertainties about her family and safety as lost to her as the path back to Spare Oom. She was strengthened, as the fear fled.

This meant a great deal. It meant that Illnath truly had no power any more, because none of the hurt or suffering or pain that he brought upon Lucy or her family was viable any longer. It held no sway over them, caused no more anxiety or dismay or trouble. Lucy still had all of her memories of her time spent with Illnath, but they no longer haunted her. In fact, she rarely ever thought of them after Aslan brought her peace, and when she did, they held no weight. They felt distant and surmountable. The fear was gone and replaced with a peace and acceptance over what had passed, and it made those awful times not seem so awful now.

So much so, that they became forgettable as time went on, a mere speck on the horizon. Because though what she had gone through was real, it did not matter anymore. She was no longer a victim to it. She had overcome, because Aslan had overcome – and come to her. And what did matter, she had with her – her strength, her family, and Aslan. And all that was as honest as the sun rising in the East and setting in the West. As meaningful as you and me. And as real as Aslan himself.

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**Well, there it is! Please review - I love chatting with you all and do my best to respond to everyone! Thanks again, this story means a lot to me and so does the fact that you all have taken the time to read it!**

**Much Love,**

**Scarlett**


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